The Return of Magic
by EmeraldGuardian7
Summary: After the defeat of Voldemort, life for Harry Potter hadn't gone as expected. The Auror life wasn't for him, and his relationship with Ginny had failed. Now, as an unofficial Curse-Breaker, a more skilled Harry has found himself on Remnant saving the life of a certain Atlas Specialist. With magic returning to the land, will Harry succeed where others have failed in combating Salem?
1. A New World

**Chapter 1**

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 _ **A/N:**_ _Hey everyone. Please don't hate me. I was really busy with school than exams and couldn't update for a while, and now this story idea came to me and was written while I was stuck on the next chapter of the Wizard and the Grimm. I will finish it eventually but am having a little bit of writer's block on that story._

 _This one again is obviously another Harry Potter and RWBY crossover, except this Harry is 24 years old (basically think of him as canon Harry up until after the Battle of Hogwarts) and starts in RWBY volume 4. As you'll learn in this story, this Harry is a lot more skilled than canon, having done a lot of self study from the time he defeated Voldemort till the time he travels to Remnant._

 _I hope you all enjoy. Please leave me a review to let me know what you think._

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Harry Potter, once known as the Boy-Who-Lived, now the Man-Who-Won, and self proclaimed adventurer, was not happy. Now, even at age 24, he still found himself falling over when using a new form of magical travel. The fact that said magical travel just happened to be an interdimensional portal didn't concern him, he was tired of falling over, damn it!

Spitting out the dirt he'd accidentally taken into his mouth from the fall, he stood and looked around. Yep, the legends had definitely been right. He was in a different world, or alternate universe, whatever you prefer to call it.

When he'd taken on that job of 'cleansing' the ancient Mayan temple he hadn't thought the stories had held any merit. The village elder had said they'd hired others before to no effect, but Harry had been confident seeing as this was the first time the muggle had, albeit unknowingly, hired a real certified curse breaker. Ok… that might be a bit of a white lie. Harry wasn't officially certified per say, but he had been trained by Bill Weasley. Most governments just tended to look the other way when he worked for them seeing as he was an internationally renowned celebrity.

He'd figuredthe temple was magical, and it had been the leftover curses on the place that had spawned the stories that had sprung up around it. He especially hadn't believed the stories that it contained a portal to an alternate universe. And yet, as it seemed to happen often in his life, he'd been wrong. He hadn't even sensed the enchantment on the statue until it had activated. By then it had been too late.

Many might question how he knew he was in a new universe, and had not just been teleported somewhere else instead, but Harry could tell. The very fact that his momentary arrogance had caused this was repeatedly hammered into him as he stretched his senses outwards. This was a new world. It didn't feel the same as Earth.

Looking around, he took in the environment he'd found himself in. At first glance it didn't appear too different than a normal forest from Earth, but after a moment he started to notice how the vegetation wasn't exactly the healthiest. The trees actually looked quite diseased. As far as he could see, the forest seemed to get greener and the leaves more full looking in one direction. The exact opposite was true looking in the other direction. Harry thought he could even see a faint red glow on the horizon that way. Shuddering, he decided if he had any choice in the matter at all, he would not head in the direction with the creepy sky.

Checking himself and his equipment over, Harry winced when he found the pieces of splintered wood. Looking down in his hand, for the second time in his life, Harry looked at the shattered remains of his Holly and Phoenix feather wand. When Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody had been alive, he'd always told people not to keep their wands in their back pockets. It seemed Harry now had another reason why he should have listened to the paranoid old Auror.

Shaking his head, Harry placed the pieces into his Mokeskin Pouch. He'd look it over later, suddenly extremely happy he'd taken the time to study under Ollivander in the basics of wandmaking in the past few years. He'd found an interest in the subject after the whole debacle surrounding the wands and his defeat of Voldemort. He wouldn't even try to claim he was a master of the craft, but he might be able to do some repairs if necessary. He could at least try to craft a new focus if needed though.

Before he could give it much more thought, Harry heard it. Crouching down behind a particularly large tree, Harry freed the enchanted Goblin-made dagger that he now always carried on his person.

If Harry were to classify the low whining sound that was steadily growing closer, he'd say it was some kind of engine, but he wasn't entirely sure. He was proven correct a few moments later when he saw what appeared to some kind of motorcycle-like vehicle speeding through the trees and over the rough terrain.

Harry wasn't quite sure what to make of it. It seems this world was populated, which in the long stretch was probably a good thing for him. He wasn't planning on revealing himself to the first person he came across, wanting to observe the society they came from, but he hadn't expected what came next.

Something came flying out of the trees striking one of the vehicle's tires. Even with the wheel in question locking up, the momentum had to go somewhere, and thus Harry watched in mute horror as the whole thing flipped. His hand shot out, ready to make an attempt at stopping the rider from being squashed like a bug, but in the end it proved unnecessary.

The person in question jumped off on their own, straight into the air. They traveled up higher than any human he knew of could do, performing a perfect flip, and landing in a crouch. Only then did he get a good look at the rider. To his shock it was a woman. A human! At least now he knew there were humans on this world.

From his distance, and her angle, he couldn't quite get a good look at her yet. He changed positions, trying to get a better view but only managed to pick up that she had white hair. Before he could mull on that anymore, he was distracted as four black forms came barreling out of the trees towards the woman in question.

Harry's body tensed at the perceived threat. The black objects came to stop, before slowly beginning to circle the woman. Harry wasn't sure what to think. They looked like wolves- no- too humanoid- they looked like werewolves. Their fur was black, but not the normal colour black, almost as if it was sucking in the light around it. It didn't seem natural. One of the beasts turned just enough for Harry to see it's front, and he had to stifle his sudden inhalation of breath, as his eyes roamed over the bone mask that adorned their faces.

 _What the hell did you walk yourself into Potter?_ These things looked like bloody demons. He'd actually read a tome on demons back on Earth, one of the few that still exist. It had all been apart of his rigorous extra magical education he'd put himself through. He'd needed something to do after quitting the Aurors and having his relationship with Ginny fail. Ok… ok… the amount of subjects he'd put his time into may have been a tad excessive… like putting Hermione's time traveling year of adventure level of excessive to shame, but seeing the events unfolding in front of him made him glad he had. Plus for the first time in his life, he'd actually enjoyed learning with the tutors he'd hired.

 _Focus Harry! Focus!_ Focusing back in on the events in front of him, he prepared himself to jump in, mentally starting on a strategy. He knew most of the spells that wizards and witches threw around easily day to day would have little to no effect. Demons had a high resistance to magic, which meant he would have to use more high caliber stuff… which would be impossible with his wand broken. Cursing once again, he searched for an alternate solution. Fortunately it proved to be unneeded.

Faster than he could follow, the woman's stance shifted, and she had a sword in her hand, a saber of some kind. She pointed the tip of her sword towards one of the demons causing a white circular design to appear beneath its feet. The symbol flashed and the beast went flying into the air. The others charged her.

Jumping up again, she met the creature she'd launched with a flurry of fast strikes. Turning in the air and kicking of her enemy's body, she drove herself towards the ground, impaling one of the other creatures through the head. Landing back on her feet she launched forward again dodging swiping claws, and slashing the creatures apart.

Harry was so entranced watching her graceful movements that he barely caught the fact that the dead creatures bodies were fading to black smoke. He knew right then and there that these things were definitely demons. One of the few things recorded in that book he'd read had stated that a demon's body doesn't stick around after death. They didn't belong in any of the mortal realms, and thus when the sentient energies that possessed them were exhausted, their bodies would fade. He wondered how there were so many though. Five demons in one place was unheard of. The practice of summoning demons had been banned globally on Earth and even Voldemort with all his evil had never ventured there.

Harry watched the woman block another attack coming behind her with one of her strange symbols. Was she a witch? The symbols seemed magical in nature... Maybe this world's version of runes or maybe even seals of some kind. It was uncommon on Earth for any magical folk to take up any form of physical combat. Harry himself had seen the benefit in it though. The skill this woman was displaying spoke of years and years of practice. Harry was feeling quite curious.

The woman finished off the last demon with a flourish of her blade. Her breathing barely seemed to have changed at all, as if battling demons was an everyday occurrence. For all he knew it could be. Merlin, he hoped not.

Harry began to weigh the merits of revealing himself. He didn't know her. She didn't know him. They might not even speak the same language. She was dangerous, but so was he. He knew it wasn't a smart move, he should spend more time observing civilization here, but he was just too damn curious. This woman had just defeated five demons on her own!

Harry stood up and stepped out more clearly into view. Before he could announce his presence, something else came streaking out of the woods, from the same direction as the previous demons. Whatever it was, it was smaller than the others and much faster. It slammed into the woman before she could put her guard up and she went flying. She smashed into a large tree with loud crash and the wrenching sound of tearing wood.

At the point of impact, Harry saw a strange white light flare up around her body, before seeming almost stutter and flicker out. The woman remained still on the ground. Even though he didn't know her, Harry felt panic grip his heart. Had his earlier determination to not interfere in the battle cost this woman his life? Was he responsible? Despite, all the changes Harry had gone through growing up since his time at Hogwarts, that was one was trait he'd never been able to ditch… his saving people thing as Hermione put it.

The humanoid demon slowly start to approach her downed form, savoring it's victory.

"Oi!" Harry had stepped into the small clearing, his hand tightening on his Goblin-Forged blade. "Why don't you leave the lady alone?"

The things head snapped in his direction instantly, going unnaturally still. Harry had to suppress a shiver as he realized how the creature looked much more human than he'd originally thought. Instead of being covered in fur like the others, it's skin almost seemed normal except that it was as dark black as the earlier beast's' fur, and had bone armor plates in strategic places on its body.

Before Harry could analyze it further, the creature moved, or rather to Harry's eyes it disappeared from where it was and reappeared in front of him reared to strike. Surprised by the speed, Harry threw himself backwards and just managed to raise his dagger to redirect the force of the demon's bone claws.

As he came back to his feet, Harry didn't wait any longer. He threw the dagger towards his target, reaching out with his magic to guide its trajectory. It easily cut into an unprotected part of the creature's arm and pinned it to a tree.

Relaxing slightly, Harry began to walk over, trying to figure out the best way to kill it. He had a sneaking suspicion that the thing he was facing had used to be human. He wasn't sure if whoever had summoned the demons here had figured out a way to summon just the demon spirit instead, and infused it into a human being, or if it was something else entirely.

What Harry hadn't expected for was the creature to rip its arm free in one deft movement, seemingly unconcerned with the large amount of damage it had done to itself on his blade.

Varying types of stunning and immobilization spells cast with his hands had little to no effect as he'd expected, and so Harry changed tactics. This time, he cast an explosive curse at the creatures advancing feet, the result of which left a crater behind and actually succeeded in momentarily knocking it off it's feet.

Rushing past, Harry wrenched his dagger free and turned just in time for the beast to set in on him again. He managed to deflect the first several blows, even with it's enhanced speed, but to his dismay, the last one sent the Goblin-Steel sailing through the air. Harry went down under the creature's weight.

Struggling as much as he could, Harry managed to keep his mauling at bay for a few moments longer, allowing him a second to focus on what he wanted. Once again, he expanded his senses outward looking for his dagger, and as soon as he found it, he called it towards himself.

The solid thump that he heard, told Harry exactly where his blade had gone. The creature went rigid above him, right before relaxing a moment later. Pushing the body off of himself, Harry climbed to his feet. Looking down at the humanoid-demon, he found his knife, jerked it free and cleaned it with a wave of his hand.

He observed the body. It was smoking like the other creatures he'd seen, but not everything was disappearing. Harry grimaced. This was further proof to him that these demons looking so human was not a coincidence. He was going to track down whoever was doing these sick experiments and show them why it wasn't a good idea to corrupt the beauty of magic when he was around!

As he looked around, the wrecked vehicle once again grabbed his attention, and reminded him about what he was forgetting. The girl! He had to check on her. He rushed over. Almost immediately he felt some of the tension leave him, as it was clear to see that the woman was alive and breathing. She looked a little banged up but not nearly as hurt as he had expected she'd be.

Now that he was closer, he could finally get a clear look at her. The woman looked to be around his age, early twenties for sure. He noted his earlier observation was correct. Her hair was pure white… not something he'd seen that often. Said hair was tied back into a bun, with her bangs covering part of her face. She had a fair complexion, and full lips. Her eyes were closed. Harry wasn't quite sure about her clothes. They almost appeared to be some kind of uniform. Like her hair, it was mostly white but had some parts in light blue and grey tones. Shaking his head, Harry tried to ignore the fact that she filled out said uniform in a way that was very pleasing to the eyes. Banishing those thoughts, Harry started to make a plan. He couldn't help feeling like he was being watched, and thus wanted to get out of there before any more of those demons showed up.

He approached the crashed bike, looking for anything he could salvage. There was a single bag strapped to the back. Figuring the woman would want it when she woke up, he unhooked it from where it was strapped. A quick featherlight charm later, and it was slung over his back. He looked down at the woman once again. Without a wand he didn't trust himself to levitate her for a long period of time without dropping her. It looked like he would have to do it the old fashioned way.

He scooped her up into his arms. One arm went behind her back, the other under her knees. Straightening he took another look around. He had no idea in which direction was civilization, but the fact that the woman in his arms had been heading away from the direction that gave him the odd feelings were enough for him. He'd venture in the same direction she was traveling for a while before setting up camp.

With his mind made up, and his path set, Harry started walking. Over the next few hours not much changed. The white haired woman in his arms remained unconscious, his surroundings still consisted of forest, and he still had no idea if he was any closer to civilization. He did notice the farther he went that the trees tended to look a bit healthier, and that they were more spaced out, but other than sun moving across the sky, that was the only difference.

It was around the third or fourth hour that he finally halted, spotting something else he'd been keeping his eye out for. Setting the woman down with a small hiss as his muscles protested the new movement, he took a second to catch his breath. Harry began to examine the tree that had caught his attention. It was large. More so than most of its brethren. Healthy too. Stepping forward, Harry gently placed his palm against the aged trunk, and closed his eyes. Letting his consciousness and magic seep outward, he brushed up against the tree's, for lack of a better term, soul. Asking the silent question, a sudden surge of acceptance was the only response he felt. Sending back a silent thank you, Harry opened his eyes.

Seeking out the branch he was interested in, Harry went to work. Quickly locating where it joined to the massive trunk, he broke it free with a massive snap. Running his hand over the now wounded trunk he spoke a few words in latin. By the time his hand was removed it looked completely unblemished. Turning around he walked back over to his unconscious companion, placing his unfinished staff beside her.

Once again, looking around the small clearing they'd stopped in, Harry decided it was as good a place as any to camp for the night. He figured he'd gotten far enough away from the site of the attack to be relatively safe, and with the protective enchantments he was about the put up, they should be fine. He wasn't sure about the situation earlier, but if for whatever reason they were being tracked by any demons, any spells he cast around the area wouldn't be of much help. It might actually draw them to him instead. Even more than killing humans, demons hungered for magic. He knew casting a lot of spells in the woods would be the equivalent of sending a flare up into the air to declare, _'I'm over here! Come and eat me!'_

Of course by spells he meant spells similar to the ones Hermione had cast around their tent when hunting Horcruxes several years earlier. Some simple runic defenses would do a lot better. There was a reason why the demon problem on Earth, centuries earlier, had been mostly taken care of by the goblins with their enchanted runic weapons instead of spells cast by wizards. For some reason runic magic just seemed to bypass their magical resistance.

Grabbing a small stick off the ground, Harry crouched down and started to draw small symbols in the dirt. It took a while but he managed to space them out to form a rough circle around the small clearing. Then touching his finger to one of them, and a little push of magic, the simple protections he'd created came to life.

The runes glowed for a few seconds before fading back to normality. You would never be able to tell by sight alone that they were active but Harry could feel the comforting hum in the air that signified they were working. He hadn't devised anything too extravagant, but what he'd done should stop anyone from accidentally walking into them while also keeping any demons from tracking them. It would also keep demons from sensing any magic he used.

Getting back to his feet, Harry arched his back, hearing the distinctive pop, pop, pop of his spine, that spoke of his busy day carrying that woman around. He reached inside his expanded Mokeskin pouch and freed the tent. Activating the already enchanted canvas and poles, a small triangular tent assembled itself before his eyes.

Giving a nod of satisfaction, he scooped the woman up once again. He entered the tent, no longer awed by its immense interior size after years of use, and went straight for one of the bedrooms. This one still had several bunk beds in it. The other he'd changed upon the tents purchase to have a single large bed, seeing how he seemed to spend more time in it on the road these days, instead of in the now cleaned up and renovated Grimmauld Place.

He stopped in the doorway looking at the musty sheets. He hadn't had someone stay in here in a long time. He tried to shift her weight over to only one of his arms but soon realized that wouldn't work. With a sigh he was able to free a few fingers which he wigged exasperatedly at the bunk. The sheets straightened themselves out a little, but didn't get any cleaner. His wandless magic really wasn't suited to most charms or transfiguration work. Summoning and banishing aside, he needed the fine control of a wand for most things. He could throw around some of his lower end offensive spells like that as well, but not nearly as effective as usual.

Realizing his efforts were futile, Harry sighed again before backing out of the room and heading for his own. Another finger wiggle, this time to more effect, had the sheets flying back off the bed. He set her down, making sure her head was rested on the pillow, before he grabbed the covers from where they had fallen down and lowered them back down onto the bed. Once he was done, he stopped again for a moment and just observed her quietly as she slumbered on.

He'd checked earlier and it hadn't seemed like she had any broken bones, nor had he seen any open wounds. The bruising would probably be pretty bad though, seeing how hard she had hit that tree. He didn't want to look any further without her permission or unless life was in danger, something he didn't believe was currently the case. He'd just have to wait for her to wake up. Harry set her sword on the nightstand, knowing she'd probably panic if she woke up in an unfamiliar place without it.

Leaving the room, Harry first went into the small kitchen area. Rummaging through the cupboards he produced a pot and a can of soup. The magical world still hadn't got into the habit of buying processed foods like this, but with all the trips he did for his job, Harry had taken to doing his grocery shopping among the muggles. Emptying said can into the pot, he set it onto the stove, lighting the burner with a snap of his fingers.

Harry left it simmering slowly, as he headed towards the entrance of the tent, grabbing a kitchen chair on his way, and dragging it over across the ground. He set it down just inside the door, squinting suddenly under the intense glare of the setting sun, as he stepped outside. He double checked his temporary boundary, finding it still holding strong.

Goosebumps erupted over his skin in the sudden shade that the large tree provided. Even the air felt a little damper under there. Grabbing the branch he'd taken earlier, he hurried back to his chair. Running his hands up and down the rough bark, getting a feel for his chosen implement, Harry freed his dagger from its strap. It wasn't the best tool for job, but it would have to do. In all reality, the Goblins would probably skin him alive if they saw what he was about to do with their work.

Holding the branch diagonally across his lap, so that it was tilted towards the ground, Harry lowered his blade down to the point of contact. The Goblin-Steel cut into the bark with ease, enough so that Harry knew he'd have to be extra careful that he didn't cut too deep. Then with a practiced motion, he slid it down the wood, slicing away the bark as if it never existed. Then he did it again… and again. Each cut he made served to only reveal the golden toned wood hidden below to the open air.

The task itself was quite meditative, and it gave Harry the chance to actually think over what had happened that day. The tales about the temple he'd been hired to investigate had happened to be true, much to his surprise. On top of that, of course, the curse had activated while he was inside, leaving him now stranded on another world.

Surprisingly, he wasn't as upset about that as you might expect. It had been watching that muggle Indiana Jones series that had gotten him interested in this line work in the first place, a reason he refused to concede was foolish to the ever disapproving Hermione. And what makes a better adventure story than exploring a new world anyway? Of course his other favorite pastime of had been indulged almost immediately, the results of which were the unconscious woman in his tent. With the war over on Earth, his saving people thing had been toned down a bit, but it seemed that the day's events had only served to prove that his instincts were as sharp as ever.

Before Harry knew it, he'd removed all the bark from the branch in his hands. It was at that same time that he also felt the piece of sharpened steel being held up against his throat. "Drop your weapon!"

The woman's voice was strong, firm, and betrayed no emotion. If he hadn't carried her for most the day he would never have guessed she had just woken up from being knocked unconscious. "Then you can tell me who you are and where exactly you've brought me."


	2. Explanations

**Chapter 2**

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 _ **A/N:**_ _I finally finished the next chapter for you guys. I'm actually really liking this idea. Since volume 4 of RWBY started I've been itching to write something set during that time. This chapter is a bit longer than the last and has lots of dialogue for the first half. I hope I'm doing an ok job and starting to build the foundations of Harry and Winter's relationship. I think this pairing could work out quite well. Anyway, let me know what you think in the comments. Thanks for reading!_

 _ **UPDATED [01/01/2017]:** Thanks for the feedback from one of my guest reviewers. Only changed a couple lines... nothing major._

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 _ **Last Time:**_

" _Drop your weapon!" The woman's voice was strong, firm, and betrayed no emotion. If he hadn't carried her for most the day he would never have guessed she had just woken up from being knocked unconscious. "Then you can tell me who you are and where exactly you've brought me."_

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Harry's stilled for only a second. He'd known she'd woken up. He'd felt the small ward he'd left in the room trip as she exited, but he hadn't expected her to come right out an attack him.

He went back to what he was doing as if his life wasn't currently being threatened. He felt confident he could talk his way out of this, or at the very least save himself from being killed if needed.

"I didn't know it was considered good manners to threaten someone when they save your life." The woman froze. Harry proceeded to work on any knicks and other notches he found in the wood, as if nothing was happening.

He could tell the moment she gathered her thoughts as he could feel her grip tighten on her sword once again. "Who are you?" She ground out again.

In a single movement Harry sheathed his blade, willed a thin shield into place around his hand, and swatted the saber away from his neck. He stood from his seat, turning to face his guest, and extended his hand. "Harry Potter. Nice to meet you."

Her reflexes were quick and he found himself on the business end of her weapon again. Harry cocked his head to the side in faux-confusion. He knew he was pushing this woman, but he couldn't help it. He could already tell she had a bit of an aristocratic attitude. It was the way in which she held herself, and the way she seemed comfortable with commanding someone she'd never met. Those kinds of people tended to either grat on his nerves or became the most fun to wind up.

"Now it's gone from threatening me to actually raising your weapon against me? I see social etiquette isn't of much importance around these parts."

Harry was impressed. He was pretty sure he was actually able to hear her teeth grinding together in her frustration. She relaxed her stance slightly, but didn't completely put her weapon away. He gave her a grin, and saw her jaw clench all over again. She grit out, "Where have you taken me? I assure you that a kidnapping attempt was not a smart move on your part?"

"Kidnapping?" Harry was actually a little surprised she'd jumped to a conclusion that far afield. "I left you in a room unbound with your weapon beside you!"

The woman's determined expression faltered. "I… well… why and where have you taken me?"

"First of all, after I saved your life from those demons, I took you away from the scene since you were unconscious. I didn't think you'd like me to leave you there for more of them to come find you."

"Demons? You mean the creatures of Grimm?"

His mind was immediately full of visions of big black dogs, and echoes of Professor Trelawney's voice from his third year at Hogwarts. Forcing himself to move on, he asked, "Is that what you call them?"

"Of course! At least most educated people refer to them as so," she finished somewhat haughtily. To his surprise, she actually seemed to realize what she'd implied about him a moment later, looking somewhat embarrassed and apologetic. It seems she wasn't a female version of Malfoy after all. He would never have realized, let alone admitted to being in the wrong. She sighed, and struggled to give a somewhat forced smile. "If what you say is true then I thank you for coming to my aid. Do you reside outside the Kingdoms full time?"

Now this was interesting. Harry immediately picked up on slight distaste in her voice when speaking of living outside of these so called kingdoms. It seemed it wasn't a preferable place to live. It also seemed from her aborted comments on demons that it wasn't the most accepted name for them on this world.

"I guess you could say that. I don't come from any of these kingdoms you're talking about. As for saving you... I only did what was right. As I said before, my name's Harry. I didn't catch yours?" Harry found it somewhat funny that they had moved on to exchanging pleasantries, yet they were both still seperated by her sword.

The woman nodded, but once again looked somewhat guarded. "It's Winter. Winter Schnee." At his lack of reaction, she seemed to relax once again. "Where exactly are we? I need to return to Atlas as soon as possible."

"I'm not quite sure what I can tell you there seeing as I have no idea. I'd only just arrived to the clearing when you crashed, and after finishing off that demo- err… Grimm, I just started heading in the same direction that you'd been driving before. I probably carried you for about three or four hours before deciding to stop here and set up camp."

As he finished, Harry noted the blush that was steadily growing across Winter's face. She cleared her throat quite loudly. "Yes… well… thank you for that again." She glanced around quickly. "It is an impressive camp to be set up by one person. Do you mean to say you had no idea where you were when you found me? How is that possible?"

"That's right. It's a long story though, probably best saved for another time. As I said, I'm not really from around these parts."

"I see." She looked towards the entrance. "If I take a look outside, I should be able to find a return path to my bullhead, however I won't be able to match my previous pace without my vehicle."

Winter turned to the entrance of the tent. His eyes widening in sudden realization of what she'd see. "No wait!" But it was too late, she'd already stepped outside.

He didn't move, waiting for the inevitable reaction. To his surprise there were no startled screams. Just when he was starting to get curious about what was going on, and he was thinking about going to check on her, she reentered the tent. Her expression was unreadable, her pale blue eyes locked onto his own. She stopped in front of him, and didn't say a word.

"Your tent…" he nodded. "i-its bigger on the inside…"

"Yep." He popped the 'p' loudly. "I was wondering if you'd notice that."

She shot him an incredulous look, "You were wondering-" she shook her head, before simply asking, "how?"

"Would you believe me if I said that it was magic?"

The room descended into silence. Winter was giving him a strange look. On one hand it made him think she'd taken his response as a figure of speech and, as he'd expected, an attempt to avoid answering truthfully. One the other hand, there was something else about that look that made him think the idea of magic wasn't completely unbelievable to her.

"Magic shouldn't be a strange an idea to you. I saw your earlier fight with the Grimm."

Winter looked confused. "Magic? Me? What are you talking about?"

"I was pretty sure it was some kind of runic magic you were throwing around. I saw those white symbols you were casting. The one launched that Grimm up into the air."

"Are you speaking about my glyphs? My semblance?"

Harry frowned, "What's a semblance?" He wondered if that was the name for whatever form of magic they practiced in this world.

Winter now looked even more confused, "You speak of magic as if it were common knowledge and not a fairy tale, and yet seem to have no knowledge of what a semblance is and I'm assuming by conjunction aura as well." At his questioning look, she sighed, "Who are you and where exactly are you from?"

"Let's just say I'm a traveler and leave it at that." As was becoming quite common that evening, silence fell between them. Winter was now looking at him with unbridled suspicion. Harry glanced over at the stove. "Well… night is falling and I doubt you'll want to head out until morning. Would you care to join me for dinner Miss Schnee?"

If possible Winter looked startled once again. "Dinner?"

"It's not much, but I threw on some stew a while back," he motioned towards the kitchen area.

"Oh… that's fine. I'm not hungry."

Harry allowed a smirk to grow across his face when he heard her stomach grumble loudly a few seconds after her statement. Her face turned beet red.

"I don't want to hear it," she grumbled as she passed him on her way to the kitchen.

He followed a moment later chuckling quietly. Stopping by the table he made a come hither motion with his hands. Two bowls flew out of the cupboards, and he snagged them out of the air. He pulled the pot off the stove manually, not wanting to risk summoning it while it was full of hot liquid. Dishing out two servings he turned back to the stove, snapping his fingers, and snuffing out the flame he'd conjured earlier.

It was only after sitting down, and preparing to dig in, that he noticed that his guest was watching him intently. He just shrugged his shoulders, "Magic."

Harry remembered how much that kind of answer had bugged Hermione when she was younger. He had a feeling that Winter was as bit of a stickler for the rules, and that same answer would bug her too. By the way she was glaring at him, which he pretended he didn't notice of course, he was pretty sure he was right.

She joined him by beginning to eat her food a moment later. Like he expected, it wasn't anything special. It was pretty standard for a canned stew, but it was hot, and it filled him up. In the end that's all that really mattered. Much like himself, Winter probably would have appreciated something he had made from scratch, but she didn't complain.

Once finished, Harry began to gather everything up, and received a small "thanks" from his guest to which he inclined his head. Dumping the bowls into the sink, Harry realized his next dilemma. Closing his eyes, he started concentrating on what he desired. Flaring his magic, he opened his eyes a crack. Nothing had happened. With a muttered curse he flung the cutlery into the sink as well a bit harder than intended. It seemed conjuring water was outside his wandless ability.

"What? Magic no help with the dishes?"

He glared at her, and grumbled, "It would been no problem if I hadn't accidently crushed my wand when I landed on this merlin-be-damned world!"

"Wand? Like an actual magic wa- wait! What do you mean landed on this world?"

Harry winced. He hadn't meant to say that. "If I ask really nicely, you won't just forget I said that will you?" Her answering look gave him the strong impression that she wasn't impressed. "Fine, but you won't believe me when I tell you."

"Try me." Harry sighed, and took a moment to think about what he was going to say as he made his way back to his seat at the table.

"Well… here it goes… I accidentally travelled here from another world or another dimension if you'd rather. I was investigating rumours of a cursed temple on my world where people were disappearing. I didn't actually believe the stories about it sending people to another dimension were true, when, lo and behold, I found myself here. You arrived and had your fight with the demo- err… Grimm a few minutes later."

Winter looked quite affronted, "You don't actually expect me to believe that do you?"

"No, I don't. If it hadn't happened to me and I was in your place, I'd think I was crazy too. I have no way to prove my claims to you, so either you'll just have to just believe me or think I'm lying. Doesn't really matter in the end I guess."

Winter had gone back to eyeing him carefully.

"So… what were you doing out in the middle of nowhere being chased by demons anyway?" Harry saw her eye twitch when he called their so called Grimm demons again.

"That's classified."

"Classified huh? You some kind of military personnel?"

"Atlesian Military Specialist."

"Atlesian Military?"

"As in Atlas." At his lack of response she continued on unbelievably, "Mistral, Vale, and Vacuo? You don't know the Kingdoms?"

Harry just raised a single eyebrow in response to show her how stupid her question was after what he'd told her. Winter scoffed.

"So where are we then? I'm assuming we're outside theses Kingdoms you spoke of." Winter opened her mouth. "And don't give me any shit about it being classified. There's no way our current location is classified. I just need to figure out a way to get to some form of civilization here."

Winter's glare slowly softened into a more speculative look. "Do you have paper and something to write with?"

"Oh.. uhh sure." Pulling out his Mokeskin pouch, he waved his hands over the opening, a roll of blank parchment and a pencil came flying out a moment later. He didn't bother with quills anymore. He caught Winter looking at the silver-green scaled bag with some distaste which changed as soon she saw the objects pulled out of it."

"That's quite useful. Does it weigh as much as all the objects you put into it?"

"Nah, it's pretty light." He unhooked it from his belt. "Here." He tossed it over.

She snagged it out of the air with deft reflexes. As soon as it touched her skin, the hole constricted into non-existence. She looked at it in wonder, trying in vain to get it open. "The skin shrinks whenever it's in any other hands than it's owners, just like the animal the skin is from."

"How much do you have in here?"

"Pretty much all my belongings. I keep my tent in there when not in use."

Winter was now holding the pouch much more delicately as if might suddenly explode. She studied it with wide eyes. "I was wrong before. This is incredibly useful." Before muttering to herself, "James would love this."

Another motion of his hand summoned his pouch out of her hands, and across the table back to him. "James?"

Surprisingly she actually looked quite flustered by his question, "Oh… I… well… I mean General James Ironwood of the Atlesian Military. My Commanding Officer." Harry nodded, while Winter quickly tried to change the subject. She grabbed the parchment, and started sketching some shapes. "As I said there are four Kingdoms on Remnant. Here-" She paused, as she studied one of the shapes she'd just drawn critically. "I did have a proper map in my bag which would have made this easier, but you'll have to make do with this for now."

"Your bag? Oh I forgot I grabbed that."

Harry headed into the other room and picked it up, before heading back to the kitchen and handing it over. She looked relieved and gave him, for the first time, a genuine smile. She rooted around in her bag for a few minutes, checking on her stuff, before pulling out a big rolled paper. "You couldn't use your magic to just grab it like the other stuff."

"Didn't trust myself with it actually. I knew there was a good chance the featherlight charm I'd cast on it ha- well that's the charm I'd used to make it temporarily lighter, had worn off. It's heavier than my other stuff, and it was in the other room. I didn't want to damage it or hit one of us."

"Oh. I see." She spread the big rolled paper. Harry stood up to get a good look. He immediately took in the large landmasses that dominated this planet, feeling somewhat surprised that they did not resemble Earth at all. He'd thought there might be similarities. He found it somewhat foreboding that one of the continents was shaped to resemble a dragon, and of course Winter pointed that one out immediately. "We're somewhere around here. I can't tell for sure because I was unconscious when we moved today, but if you followed my initial heading, it will be somewhere in this area. The Kingdoms are all labeled and that's where the majority of the population live. Where we are is…" she paused for a moment, "unpopulated."

Harry had a feeling there was a bit more to Winter's last statement than she let on, but he decided to let it go for now. He took another minute, trying to commit as many details as possible to memory before he looked away. "Thanks."

He turned away from the table, and went to go grab his unfinished staff. He sat back at the table and pulled out his dagger once again.

"What are you doing?"

Harry began whittling down the one end towards a point. "I don't really have time to fix my wand properly, and don't have the resources to make a proper weapon out here in the middle of nowhere, so this will have to do for now. From how you spoke of the creatures of Grimm, it sounded like there are more than just a few of these demons around, so I'll need to be appropriately armed."

"With a wooden stick? You think you can take on the Grimm with that? You're crazy!"

Harry shrugged, he felt he was doing that a lot that night. "I thought you already figured that out." He grinned. "This isn't ideal, but it should be enough."

Having sharpened the one end enough, Harry began using the tip of the knife to carve strange looking symbols into the wood. The art had mostly been lost in England, but there were still a few cultures around the world that used staffs, something he'd been happy to learn. The first rune-sets were the rudimentary ones used to allow one to channel their magic through the focus.

If this were more than a temporary fix, he would have invested some time planning more personalized designs to boost certain spells or elements, but he didn't have the time for that now. The next runes he carved were protections for the wood itself including flame resistance, structural strengthening, and others. Once that was complete, he touched his fingers to the design and sent out a pulse of magic. The new runes inscribed down the length of wood suddenly lit up with a bright white light. As they faded back to normality, the rest of the wood seemed to shimmer for a brief moment before it too returned to normal.

Standing up again, Harry gave the staff an experimental twirl, getting used to the weight of it, before nodding to himself.

"You said you wanted to get to the Kingdoms?" Winter was eyeing carefully again.

"Well, I need to get to some form of civilization… to get a lay of the land so to speak."

Winter nodded, "I suppose I could give you a ride to Atlas… it's only fair after you saved my life." She suddenly looked very awkward. "It would be the only way for you to get off this continent… I also believe General Ironwood would be very interested in meeting you."

Harry snorted, "More likely interested in my abilities for the military… but that would be nice. Thank you."

"I… yes he would be. Though he is not unaware of the existence of magic."

Harry perked up at that. "And that means neither were you."

She answered carefully, "I was… recently made aware of it's existence… due to events that have taken place lately on Remnant."

Harry nodded filing that information away. It seems apart from the large demon infestation, Remnant, what these people obviously called their world, wasn't the most peaceful of places.

"Hmmm… I guess I could at least meet him. It should be interesting." Winter looked relieved, though it was hard to notice. For the most part she kept her emotions hidden quite well, except when startled, something he'd done quite a lot that night. "We can get a move on in the morning. You can take the bedroom you were resting in earlier. I'll probably stay up for a bit longer."

"Thank you Mr. Potter."

Harry waved her off, "Just Harry, please."

Winter inclined her head before continuing more softly, "Thank you… Harry."

* * *

Harry woke early. The night before, he'd done as he'd said, got a few more things done like he'd wanted before turning in shortly after his guest. With his new staff he'd been able to clean out the second bedroom before settling in for sleep. It wasn't as good as his wand for fine charms work like cleaning spells, but it got the job done.

To his surprise, though he realized it should not have been, Winter was up early too, shortly after himself in fact. It must have been a common occurrence for her in the military. Despite that, she still looked quite grumpy as she sat down, though elegant as ever, even when tired. He passed her a mug of coffee without a second thought. She perked up much more after that.

"I didn't go shopping for any fresh groceries before I got stuck here, so we'll have to make do with instant Oatmeal instead. Sorry. I do assure you I have been told I'm a fantastic cook though."

Winter accepted the bowl, "I think I'll have to see that for myself to believe it. I have gotten to used to a lower standard of fare in my time in the Military, but that does not mean I do not still have a very refined taste." She gave him a pointed look. Harry chuckled, silently accepting her challenge.

"You think you can locate your vehicle from where we are?"

"I believe so, though the walk could take a while, even with the ground you covered yesterday. My bike significantly sped up travel time. It is good you have this tent as it may take us several days."

Harry hummed thoughtfully, "I may have a way to regain any lost time, you'll just need to tell me where to go."

"And what manner of travel would that be?" Winter looked very curious. He'd noticed she seemed quite fascinated by his magic, though she tried to hide it.

"You'll see soon enough." Winter scowled. "Are you done?"

At her nod, Harry collected her bowl as well as his own, tossing them in the sink. Picking up his new staff from where it leant against the wall he motioned it in that direction. The sink filled with water, and the dishes he'd just created in addition to the ones left over from the night before began to wash and dry on their own. Winter's scowl had disappeared as quickly as it had come as she once again watched the magic happen. It reminded Harry of the first time he'd seen Hogwarts or even the Burrow. Even today, he still got that feeling when learning new magic.

Another a few waves of his staff had things within the tent straightening themselves up, and being put in their proper place. Harry began heading towards the entrance. Winter stood quickly as well, shouldering her bag and following him out. He surveyed the area around them.

"What now?" Winter asked.

Harry just smiled as he stomped the butt of his staff on ground twice in rapid succession. The outwardly small looking tent suddenly collapsed down and folded itself into a medium sized canvas bag, floated over and disappeared inside the entrance of Moleskin pouch that he was holding open.

After that, he walked over to the edge of his ward line, and swept the base of his staff through the runes he'd traced in the dirt. They flashed feebly once before going out as the energy contained within them was released. At the same time a semi-transparent blue dome flickered into view over their encampment before seeming to shatter like glass and disappear.

"What was that?"

"Protections I put up last night. Kept the Grimm, or anyone else for that matter, from finding us."

Harry opened his pouch once again, dropping his staff inside, and summoning his Firebolt II to his hand. He knew he didn't need a world class professional broom, seeing as he wasn't playing Quidditch professionally, but couldn't help by buy one. He loved his flying, and his original Firebolt that he'd lost when leaving Privet Drive for the last time, had been close to his heart.

"What is that?"

Harry couldn't help but grin, "It's my broom."

"And you brought out cleaning supplies because…?"

"It's how we're going to find your… Bullhead… is that what you called it?"

Winter started shaking her head, "I don't even want to know."

Harry smiled, dropping the broom where it seemed to bounce mid-air and began hovering at the perfect mounting height. Doing just that, Harry got into position, gripping the handle before looking over his shoulder. "Get on." Before looking back forward.

"Not in a million years," she deadpanned.

Harry spun around again, "What?"

"There is no way that I am flying around with nothing to separate me and the ground but a thin wooden stick and some bristles!"

"It's completely safe!"

"Have you flown around on these… brooms for long?"

"Of course, I've been flying since I was eleven."

"And you've never fallen off?"

"No! Of course no- well actually…"

"And were you injured badly?"

"I was fine... sort of… it was just a couple broken bones..." she continued to stare at him silently, "I only had to regrow all the bones in my arm once, and that had nothing to do with the fall…"

"See this is exactly what I mean! I'm not getting on that thing."

"We'll be fine! I only fell off when we were playing a sport, or when I was attacked by soul sucking monsters." Winter was just staring at him silently without giving. "It's either this or walking for who knows how many days." He saw her expression wavering but she hadn't quite given in yet. "Winter, I promise, I won't let you fall."

Her expression softened before reforming into her normal emotionless mask, "Fine, but you better not pull any stupid stunts."

She walked over somewhat stiffly, before swinging one of her long legs over the broom and moving up behind Harry. He quickly showed her the best place to place her legs beside his in order to stay steady.

"You ready?"

"Yes," she bit out.

"Okay, here we go." Harry kicked off from the ground and despite his promise, he almost crashed right away. This of course was more due to the fact that Winter's arms had tightened considerably around his waist the moment they left the ground. On one hand it was an enjoyable experience, how could he not find an incredibly attractive, and well developped woman like Winter being pressed up against him enjoyable, but suddenly struggling to breathe sort of put a damper on that. He managed to gasp out, "Winter… too tight…"

He felt her grip loosen slightly. It was still pretty tight, but at least he could breathe. He took a moment to glance around, and locating the rough direction they were supposed to go, and he started to move. The trip passed by in relative silence, seeing as it was too hard to talk over the wind. They moved at a good speed, skimming over the tops of the trees, keeping their eye out for their target or any dangers. Winter did yell at him to watch out for Nevermore, whatever they were, at some point.

Just when Harry was considering landing to take a short break, they came across the coast. Winter pointed in which direction to head, and he began following her directions. It wasn't long before they came across their destination. Like he'd suspected, this Bullhead she's spoken of seemed to be some kind of aircraft. This one was white in colour with an angular design. It seemed to have engines on each side that were currently pointed vertically downwards. If he was correct though, they would be able to move and rotate once up in the air.

Harry set them down a little bit away from the ship. Winter disentangled herself and got off as soon as possible. In a practiced move, Harry got off as well, flipped his broom around and began stowing it in his bag. "I'll admit that was useful, and it did cut off a large part of our journey, but I don't want to have to do that ever again."

"It couldn't have been that bad," Harry said before stiffening when he suddenly felt it. Ever since he'd taken down the enchantments that morning, he'd felt like they were being watched, but no matter what he'd tried, he couldn't find where it was coming from. It was just now that feeling had spiked drastically. "Do you feel that?"

Winter froze, her eyes suddenly darting around the edge of the forest quickly, before widening suddenly. We need to mo-"

Another ping across his senses alerted him to what was coming. Harry didn't even think, he just reacted. Reaching for his dagger, he pulled it free and slammed it with a backhand motion into the middle of the dark blur that was suddenly crossing the distance between the trees and Winter.

Essentially being clotheslined by Harry's arm, and stabbed at the same time was enough to put the humanoid Grimm down. Hard. Harry saw the body start to smoke much like the one he'd killed yesterday.

"I-i-it's human… was human."

"I know. It's one of the same things that knocked you out yesterday. They seem to be faster than the normal Grimm." Winter was looking down at the body in horror. "Someone's been experimenting on humans."

Winter turned her gaze to him, "General Ironwood needs to know about this." Harry nodded. Before anything else could be said, loud roars and other animal-like noises could be heard coming from the forest. The very ground seemed to shake with their fury. "We need to leave now!"

"How long does it take to get the Bullhead ready leave?"

"I'll need a few minutes to fire everything up, and be ready to fly."

"Go on then. I'll hold them back till your ready."

"That's crazy! You won't be able to hold off that many Grimm without being killed!"

"I'll be fine." He gave her a tight smile. "The longer we talk about this, the more time we waste. Go on."

She shot him a look he couldn't place. "I didn't survive that death trap you call a mode of transportation just for you to die on me. Stay safe."

He snapped off a salute, "Yes Ma'am."

She gave him a quick glare, but he saw the smile that she was struggling to suppress. She turned quickly after that, before running off to her ship. Harry spared no time in freeing his staff. _Time to test you out in the field of battle, huh._

Pumping magic into his staff, making the runes he'd carved into it the night before glow, Harry stretched his senses out into the world around him. The constant vibration that was the earth below his feet felt heavy to his senses, while the grass was like bright little wisps that only brushed against him for a moment, the other small animals felt like a blazing inferno of life in comparison, while finally reaching the trees is what he sought. They felt like giant pillars of life energy. They weren't as intense as the animals around them, but felt all the more enduring instead. Beyond that Harry could feel the void that was the massing Grimm. He ignored it for now, and refocused on the trees.

'Natura Irae!' _Nature's Wrath._

The incantation was more a command than anything. It was only a whisper in his mind but it resonated outwards into the world with the full weight of his intent behind it. Focusing his more mundane senses back into the world around him, Harry saw the treeline begin to shift. At the moment it only appeared as if they were being rocked by a strong breeze, but he knew it was actually so much more.

It wasn't until the first Grimm started to make their way out if the treeline that all hell broke loose. With speed that would surprise most, branches and vines suddenly snapped down to the ground, smacking the invading Grimm away or lifting them up only to be torn apart in the air. It was like he'd just let loose an army of whomping willows.

Most of the Grimm he saw were those wolflike ones, but there seemed to be different species mixed in as well. To his relief there didn't seem to be anymore humanoid ones here, but the sheer amount of them was staggering. It seemed Remnant had many more demons than Earth ever did in it's history. He would have to track down the sorcerer who was summoning them soon.

As the density of the monster's attacks increased, some started to sneak through the trees. With a casual point of his staff, they each found themselves blasted backwards by a massive wave of force. It didn't really hurt them due to their magical resistance, but it did serve to push them back in range of the trees, where most were flattened on their second attempt at freedom.

Harry could hear the Bullhead coming online behind him, but it didn't seem quite ready for departure yet. Relaxing slightly as his protections seemed to hold, Harry was not prepared for what happened next. With a giant crash, and the loud drawn out sound of tearing wood, his beautifully enchanted trees came crashing down as a giant Grimm-elephant came barrelling through. The thing was massive and heading straight for the ship.

He wasn't quite sure what he was about to attempt next would work, but seeing as it was a conjuration he thought it would. "Incarcerous!"

Thick ropes manifested themselves out of thin air, and wrapped themselves tightly around the legs of the giant Grimm, causing it to fall down with a crash before him. His newfound advantage didn't last long though. The Grimm's massive strength was snapping the rope as it struggled to stand.

Wasting no more time, Harry moved into action. Jumping onto the fallen Grimm's side, he scaled his away across it's immense body. Once he'd made it roughly to the centre of the beast, Harry focused his magic into one of his hands, then crouching down, he used two fingers to begin writing runes directly onto it's skin. Said skin burnt and crackled as he wrote, causing the Grimm to flail around blindly. Stabbing the sharpened end of his staff into the creature's flank, Harry held on tight with one arm, and continued his work. He wrote runes upon runes. Most of them mainly used for purification. It was the kind of thing the Grimm would hate.

Getting ready to charge them up, the Grimm suddenly convulsed violently once again, knocking Harry off his feet. He began to slip down the side of it's stomach towards the ground as if he were on some kind of blowup slide at a children's party. As his speed increased, Harry did the only thing he could. Pulling out his dagger, he turned and jabbed it straight into the creature's flesh, which slowed him down immensely, and made the Grimm let out a monstrous roar that caused the ground to shake.

Slowly but surely, Harry made his way up the Grimm's side, using his dagger as a means of leverage. The more he progressed, the more the beast struggled to get to it's feet. He finally managed to get his hands on the staff, when everything around him rumbled. It seemed like the ground was moving, and before he knew it, it was shifting. It took Harry a moment to realize the elephant-like Grimm had managed to get it's feet beneath it. It trumpeted angrily, it's enraged glowing red eyes focusing on Winter's Bullhead.

Cursing as he now held on to the currently vertical pole with both hands, Harry glanced at the runic array he'd carved just waiting to be activated. Swinging his weight back and forth carefully, Harry prepared himself for what he was about to do. With one final push, Harry swung himself over his own staff, and managed to stop himself on top, clumsily clambering around until he was standing on top of it. Then before he could lose his balance all over again, Harry flared his magic into his hand, slapped his palm down on the runes set he'd drawn.

The patterns lit up like a searchlight along the Grimm's flank, and simultaneously released a concussive force that blew him backwards into the air. Starting to panic as he fell, Harry hastily cast several cushioning charms on where he believed the ground was beneath him. It must have worked because the ground was in fact softer than would be believed from the rocky terrain. It wasn't perfect landing though, and he knew he'd have bruises in the next day.

Struggling back to his feet, Harry observed his handiwork. The symbols still shined as bright as the sun, while the Grimm wailed in agony as it's physical body disintegrated around it. Distracted by sudden howling, Harry took note of the mass of Grimm approaching his location. It seemed by uprooting his forest guardians, a large enough hole had been left for the elephant-Grimm's brethren to amass enforce.

To his surprise, the first ones ran right passed him, their eyes on the still grounded Bullhead. Drawing his dagger for the umpteenth time that day, Harry threw it at one of the wolf-Grimm's back, then extending his hand outward he summoned the staff, recently freed from the elephant-Grimm's body, back to him. Another large blast of force, knocked the two other Grimm that had gotten passed him into the ocean, before he spun back around to face the main threat.

Over the next minute, Harry continued to hold the horde at bay, using blasts of force, conjuring gusts of wind, throwing large blasts of fire, and even small flashes of electricity, yet no matter how many he took out, more Grimm seemed to take their place. Luckily for him, Harry finally heard the engines of the Bullhead behind him rev up significantly.

Without a word, Harry slammed the butt of his staff against the stone. Suddenly, all the pebbles in a 20 foot radius were transfigured into animals. Lions, and tigers, and bears jumped into the fray, attacking the Grimm and holding the horde back. Turning on his heel, Harry sprinted towards the Bullhead, and raced up the ramp.

He stood there for a moment, watching as they pulled away, and the horde looked to get smaller and smaller. He summoned his dagger back to him before he forgot and they got too far away, holstering it after it flew up the open door.

Feeling relieved that the madness was over, Harry started to relax. Just as the ramp was starting go up, cutting off the strong wind that had entered the cabin, Harry's momentary respite was cut short. An extremely loud screech cut through the air, as a black shadow swooped down towards the Bullhead.


	3. Heading Back to Base

**Chapter 3**

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _Got another chapter done for you all. I'm really having fun writing this story right now. It's sort of fun to write an adult Harry for once, and because of how I set it up I can make him a little OOC (but not too much) without it being unbelievable. I'm hoping I'm capturing Winter's character ok as well. We still don't know too much about her so I sort of have to make it up as I go along. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy. Please leave me your thoughts in the reviews._

 _Oh and another quick note. I may mention gods from different mythologies in this story. It doesn't necessarily mean they exist in this universe, but because of the belief in them at some point in history, they can be used in incantations for some more powerful spells. You'll know what I'm talking about when you see it._

* * *

 _ **Last Time:**_

 _Feeling relieved that the madness was over, Harry started to relax. Just as the ramp was starting go up, cutting off the strong wind that had entered the cabin, Harry's momentary respite was cut short. An extremely loud screech cut through the air, as a black shadow swooped down towards the Bullhead._

* * *

The horrible ear-splitting sound of tearing metal, and blaring sirens was all that Harry could hear as he flew through the air. Something extremely large had slammed into the side of the Bullhead only seconds before. The next thing his senses registered was simply pain, as he collided with one of the walls.

He sat there, slumped over, and with his ears ringing, trying to allow his brain time to catch up with what was going on around him. Feeling something wet on his face, Harry reached up to check it and was surprised when his fingers came away a bright crimson. It took him a few seconds to realize he was bleeding. Only then did the stinging pain, coming from the gash on his cheek, make itself known.

The sound of wrenching metal started up once again, finally managing to draw his attention outwards. He spotted the culprit immediately. There was some kind of large taloned foot, jammed in the area where the ramp closed. It seemed to be slowly prying it open, much to the displeasure of the squealing door mechanism.

Stumbling back to his feet, Harry looked around. He spotted his staff across the compartment on the ground. It had been knocked out of his hand during the initial impact. He scrambled over towards it as the Bullhead began to list to one side. It was only once he had it in his hands, that Harry realized he could have just summoned it to himself in the first place.

Putting aside his self-recriminations, Harry moved over towards the ramp carefully. Of course, just when he got close, it proceeded to lose it's fight to their attacker, and slam open. Fighting against the suddenly intense winds, Harry stared ahead, jaw hanging open. The avian Grimm that he came face to face with was massive. It was almost as big as the Bullhead itself.

Again, with little warning, Harry was forced to jump backwards as the giant bird rammed its head into the smaller opening, trying in vain to catch him in it's beak. The more it pushed, the more Harry saw the metal splitting apart at the seams. He was pretty sure if the Grimm wasn't flapping it's own wings as well, they would have been forced into the ground already from the added weight.

Stepping forward with determination, Harry thrust his staff forward releasing a blast of force. To his surprise, it proved to be even more ineffective than it had been to the Grimm on the ground. The magic slid right off the Grimm's face as if it were nothing more than a stiff breeze.

Standing back for a moment, Harry was at a loss for what to do. Anything more destructive that he could use would be more damaging to their vehicle than it would be to their attacker. The Grimm forced itself forward a few more inches. As it did so, it seemed to sever some kind of thin pipe in the wall, causing some kind of a yellow powdered substance to pour outward onto the creature's face. Something sparked, and suddenly, a large arc of electricity ran across it's face. Harry closed his eyes to protect them from the bright flash as the bird screeched in pain.

When he opened them again, he immediately noted the burnt flesh from the electricity. Unfortunately, it had only made the Grimm dig into the ship that much deeper, but Harry now had an idea. Darting forward, Harry rapidly approached the Grimm. With a large leap, he managed to land on top of it's beak. Scrambling to find a way to hang on, the bird's struggles increased, desperate to get at the human that was so close into it's mouth.

After a few moments of awkward climbing, Harry managed to get to where he wanted to go, the main part of the head. Getting into a half crouch, so as to not bash his head into the damaged ceiling, Harry raised his staff into the air. With a wild cry, he plunged it downwards, point first, into the bird's large eye. It was almost the size of his torso.

If Harry had thought the Grimm had been moving violently before, it was nothing compared to what it was doing now. The whole body was convulsing. It knocked him to the side and onto his back. With the sound of tearing metal making itself known once again, Harry knew the Grimm was pulling its head out.

That strange feeling he got in the pit of his stomach was enough to alert him to the fact that they had entered free fall. The Bullhead shuddered and vibrated wildly as Winter fought for control up in the cockpit. Ignoring that for now, Harry pushed himself to make it over to the entrance of the ramp. His work wasn't done yet. Taking as much care as possible that he would not fall out, Harry's eyes fixated on Grimm. It had fallen back, but was miraculously still alive, still flying, and still gunning straight for them. His staff was still visible sticking out of the remnants of it's eye like he had hoped.

Calling on his power for what felt like the hundredth time that day, Harry prepared himself for what he was about to do. He called out, magic lacing his voice so much so that it seemed to carry over the wind itself, " _Zeus! Ruler of heavens on great Olympus. As thine humble servant I beseech thee. Grant me thine strength to strike down those threaten the balance!"_

With each syllable he spoke, a weight seemed press down on him. It was if the very air was getting heavier as it charged with magic itself. At the end of his chant, Harry clapped his hands together in front of his chest, the sound echoing out over the water like a clap of thunder. For a few seconds nothing seemed to happen, then the sky darkened as thick rain clouds seemed to form out of nowhere. The wind suddenly picked up, and the whole sky rumbled. A great flash of lightning split the sky, striking his staff dead on, causing the electricity to travel down it's length and empty directly into the creature's head. With a small explosion, the bird's body was torn apart. It and his newly destroyed focus fell into the waters below. The thick clouds were already dispersing as if they'd never been there at all.

Before he lost the ability to do so, Harry reached out and with one last tug of his magic, pulled the ramp closed. Some sparks filled the air as the now misshapen metal parts scraped across each other, but to his relief it all held together. After that, Harry allowed himself to slump down on the ground, breathing heavily. While using magic itself didn't tire one out, seeing as a wizard shaped the energy of the universe around them to their will, and magic did not come from the wizard themselves as many seemed to believe, it did result in a sort of mental strain that could be tiring. His current fatigue had nothing to do with that, seeing as he knew he could last in magical battles much longer than that if need be. No, his current predicament was all because of the physical exertion he'd undergone coupled with his injuries. It seemed getting slammed around into walls and the floor was enough to tire one out.

Groaning, Harry finally pushed himself back up onto his feet. Spotting a few steps up and then a door, to what he assumed was the cockpit, Harry hobbled over. He was proven correct a few moments later when he opened said door.

"Harry!" Winter Schnee looked quite frazzled, her normally perfect hair in disarray. She actually looked very relieved. "Are you oka- is that blood?"

Harry plopped down in one of the free chairs. "I'm fine". He checked his own face. It probably looked bad, but had luckily stopped bleeding at that point. "It's stopped bleeding, see?"

"I'll be the judge of that," she continued on what she was doing, pouring over the dials and controls of the Bullhead. After a few minutes she stepped away with a sigh, and turned towards Harry. Walking over she examined his cut more closely. "You really don't have your aura unlocked do you?"

"I told you that yesterday. The word is thrown around some on my world, but I feel like it has a different meaning altogether here. You never explained what you meant by it yesterday."

"Aura is the outward manifestation of your soul. It protects you from harm, and is often used as a defensive barrier. It aids you in healing as well."

Harry thought this was pretty interesting. Some of the studies he'd done after his time at Hogwarts had started to delve into what exactly magic is. Though it was mostly still shrouded in mystery, researchers had proven that the usage of magic was somehow connected to the soul. For example, those who had been kissed by a Dementor, apart from losing the very spark of their being, had their bodies, though still alive, unable to connect with magic anylonger. It seemed here on Remnant, some people were able to replicate magic-like abilities powered by their very soul, without using magic itself. It was quite peculiar.

"And those glyphs you used yesterday?"

"That's my semblance. Everyone who has their aura unlocked has the chance to uncover their semblance. It is usually unique to the person."

"Usually unique?"

"Sometimes, like in my case, it is hereditary. Everyone in my family has the same semblance… or at least a version of it." Winter's eyes refocused back onto his cheek. "Without aura we are going to need to treat this. There should be a medical kit onboard. Is there anything you can do magically?"

"There is, but I should probably clean it first. Do you have a cloth or something?"

"I'll be right back." She hurried out of the cockpit, and into the other room, returning a moment later with a wet cloth. She stopped uncertainly for a moment as if trying to decided if she should help him, but seeing her predicament, Harry just held out his hand with a smile.

"Thanks." He pressed the cloth to his face, hissing as his wound began to sting all over again. He began wiping away the blood until Winter gave him nod to inform him that he was clean.

He opened his Mokeskin pouch, "Accio Dittany." A small brown bottle flew into his hand. "Do you mind? It just needs a drop or two."

"Of course." She took the bottle from his hand, unscrewed the cap, and absorbed some of the contents using the pipet built into the lid. Then, holding her hand surprisingly steady, she squeezed out a single drop, and then a second onto his wound. His cheek burned momentarily before returning to normal. Prodding the area gently with his finger, he concluded that the cut had in fact closed.

"It seems you are just full of useful surprises Mr. Potter." Winter looked amused as she handed the bottle back to him.

"Thanks for your help." She inclined her head, before going and taking her own seat. "So are we on our way to Atlas?"

"We are. Though the ship was damaged from the attack, I was able to stabilize us for now. We should have no problems making it back to Atlas." She paused watching him carefully. "I thought our luck had turned when the Nevermore showed up, but it seems you were able to handle it just as successfully you did that Goliath on the ground."

"So that's what you were telling me to watch out for when we were on my broom… I'm glad we didn't meet it until we did. I'd rather not meet either type of Grimm again if I can help it."

"Yes, well it was impressive nonetheless. There are not many on Remnant who can boast of taking down a Goliath or a Nevermore of that size in single combat. Both of them being done by the same person is almost unheard of."

They fell into a comfortable silence. Harry leaned his head back on the headrest, and he let himself relax. "What happened to your staff?"

"Stabbed that Nevermore through the eye, then hit it with a big ass bolt of lightning. If it somehow survived that, which I doubt it did, it's at the bottom of the ocean."

"I see." He could hear the distaste in her voice. He assumed that she didn't like him swearing, making it hard for him not to roll his eyes.

"Do you not need to actually fly this thing?"

"Atlas is known for their state of the art technological advancements. It's no challenge whatsoever to outfit military vehicles with a simple autopilot. I'll only need to take control as we enter Atlas airspace."

"Did they make you memorize the spiel?"

"What? I- no!" She cried in indignation.

"Relax. I was just joking." Winter huffed, leaving them in silence for a few minutes as he closed his eyes.

"So… if your don't mind me asking Mr. Potter-" Harry opened only one of his eyes and gave her a look. "Harry… how did you get your… powers."

Harry sat up a bit straighter, and opened both eyes for this. "Well that's the million Galleon question ain't it. No one really knows how people come by magic. It tends to run in families, but also pops up seemingly randomly as well. Both my parents were magical, so it was no surprise I am as well, but my mum was the first in her family."

"What do mean? Families? Your parents?" Winter looked shocked. "You aren't the only magic user?"

"Only ma-? Of course not! There's thousands of us back home." Winter's eyes, if possible, had widened even further. "Why would you think that? From the way you spoke yesterday, I was under the impression there was magic on Remnant. There's got to be at the very minimum one other, as they're the one summoning all these demons. If the numbers we saw back there are consistent throughout the whole world, whoever it is, they've been doing it a long time."

"B-but the Grimm have been apart of our history for as long as it's been recorded."

Harry scowled, "Great! Probably dealing with another immortal then. What's with bad guys always trying to become immortal anyway?"

Winter was doing that thing where she watched him warily again. He wasn't sure what he'd said this time. Observing her back, he figured she probably knew more about all this than she let on, and he'd probably struck a little too close to home. Now that he thought about it, he shouldn't be surprised if she knew more about this sorceror, considering her job and everything. He wouldn't push on it yet.

"You really aren't from Remnant are you?"

"That's what I said."

"But it… it just seems so impossible."

"Welcome to the story of my life." She looked confused but didn't press him.

"So you aren't the Wizard then…"

"Well I am a wizard… not sure I'm catching your meaning though."

"I meant you aren't-" the rest of what she said was an unintelligible mumble.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that."

"I said you aren't the wizard from the story of the seasons!" Winter's cheeks had a light dusting of pink on them when she repeated her statement. The last part she said quietly turning an even deeper shade of red, "I always loved that story as a child."

Harry didn't say anything for a second before speaking, "I really don't know what your talking about, but as far as I know, no, I am not some fairy tale wizard."

"I know that!" Winter's face had regained most of its usual composure but was still was a little pink.

Deciding to bail her out, Harry changed the subject, "How do the citizens of Remnant protect themselves from the Grmm? Is it all the military's doing? I feel like there needs to be some protection in place or living here would be almost impossible."

"The Military does aid in Kingdom defense, but no, fighting Grimm is not our primary goal. That's what Huntsman and Huntresses are for."

"And what exactly are Huntsmen and Huntresses?"

"Well like I said it is their responsibility to protect humanity from the Grimm. They all have their aura's unlocked and train for years to fight the Grimm. At the age of 17 they have the option to attend one of the four Huntsman Academies on Remnant, one for each Kingdom. Once enrolled, they spend four years in that school before graduating as fully certified Huntsman, from then on they can take on missions and other jobs that get posted."

"I see. But, you are military not a Huntress."

Winter hesitated, "Atlas is an exception to the rule. Our Huntsman are integrated into the Military."

"Hmmm… that could be… interesting."

Winter's back stiffened, as she responded in a somewhat clipped tone, "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean no offense, it's just that it sounds like a disaster waiting to happen." She was glaring at him. "Really, just think about it. When separated, these Huntsman, essentially highly trained superpowered killers, are focused completely on their purpose, hunting Grimm, with no politics in play. Now, add in the Military and you have the possibility of a Kingdom using their Huntsman to wage war. It opens the door for all kind of corruption and foreign agenda's getting influence over power it should not have."

"There have been some similar… fears voiced in the past, but General Ironwood is a good Headmaster, and an even better Officer. He would never do anything to sully the honour of his office."

"If you have such a high opinion of the man, than I'm sure you're correct, but what happens when he no longer holds that position? Will his replacement be as honourable? There need to be safety measures and checks on someone's power. I don't know Remnant enough to be able to judge, but that's just my opinion."

Harry let her mull over that for a few minutes, as he let his own thoughts wander. The idea of these Huntsman sounded interesting. It sort of reminded him of why he'd originally wanted to be an Auror. Protecting the people, lots of adventure, excitement, and hopefully miniscule amounts of political garbage. If he truly was stuck here on Remnant, he'd have to see if he could a devise a way back to Earth or not, it might be an interesting career to pursue, even if he was already twenty-four, and the schools only enrolled at seventeen. The thing was, if he was being serious about taking out this sorceror, which he was, it would probably be best to talk to one of these Headmasters to see what they know. Maybe his meeting with General Ironwood would be even more useful than he'd thought. He wondered what these ' _recent events on Remnant'_ that had made the General tell her about some form of magic had been. It sounded suspicious.

"Earlier you spoke of some kind of events happening lately on Remnant?" Winter looked towards him. "The ones that somehow prompted your learning about magic? Is there anything I should know about?"

Harry could tell she was thinking his question over carefully, even if she didn't give much away. "I believe it would be acceptable to fill you in on facts that are common knowledge." He inclined his head in thanks. "Every two years, there is an event that takes place called the Vytal Festival Tournament. It is attended to by select students from all four Huntsman Academies. These students compete in sparring matches to represent their Kingdoms for a live and on air audience. It is most likely the most popular event in all of Remnant. This past year, the Tournament was hosted by the City and Kingdom of Vale. Unfortunately there was a terrorist attack, and the Kingdom was overrun by Grimm. Beacon Academy has been lost, and the Kingdom still hasn't fully recovered. Many civilians were killed, and many Huntsman severely injured. Not all of the Huntsman even made it out in the first place."

Harry shook his head sadly, "I have a feeling there is even more to it then that."

Winter looked down, "A virus was installed into the Atlas network, and during the battle, our own ships and mechanized troops were turned against us. Images of Atlas technology attacking the Kingdom of Vale were broadcast to the whole of Remnant, and then the Cross Continental Transmit tower was destroyed, knocking out communications within Vale."

"You said this all stemmed from a terrorist attack? I'm sure the negative emotions that would have cause would've drawn the bloody demons right to your doorstep. You'd think with the threat that humanity is under living with the Grimm, people wouldn't pull stuff like this. I guess every world has their crazies. What can you tell me about these terrorists?"

Winter shook her head, "Any intel we have on the terrorists who planned this is classified." Harry arched his eyebrow in her direction. "Well... I can't tell you anything about them, but it is well known they were aided by the White Fang during the attack."

"The White Fang?"

"A Faunus civil rights group turned terrorist organization."

"What's a Faunus?"

Winter gaped at him, "You mean to say you don't have Faunus where you come from?"

"No… I don't believe so."

She shook her head in disbelief, "Faunus are one of the two intelligent species that live on Remnant. They rese-"

"Wait! There's another species on Remnant?"

"Well… yes. If you stop interrupting I'll finish explaining."

"Hmmm… interesting. I guess we had lots of magical species back home on Earth. It isn't that strange."

Seeing her glare, he held his arms up in surrender, "As i was saying, they are one of the two intelligent species on this planet. Human's obviously being the other." Harry opened his mouth to make a comment about how he wasn't so sure human's qualified, but thought better of it, when he remembered the look she levelled on him moments before. "They resembly humans, so much so that many can pass off as human quite easily, but can usually be identified by their own signature animal trait. Cat ears, a dog tail, claws, a horn, you name it. It is also possible for humans and faunus to... ehem… procreate."

"Let me guess. This has spurred on all kinds of discrimination hasn't it?"

"Quite so."

Harry groaned, "It's always the same. No matter where I go. Tell me, this White Fang… I'm guessing from what you said it went from a platform of equality to now Faunus superiority."

"That's the way it seems. They took part in the attack on Vale. They murdered civilians, attempted to fight against the Huntsman, and even captured Grimm in Bullheads, releasing them later directly into the school."

Harry mentally added the White Fang to the checklist in his head as well. They sounded too dangerous to be left alone. Though he had not even met a faunus yet, equality sounded like a noble, however the White Fang's current agenda seemed to be corrupted beyond repair. He'd look into when he could.

"Were you there during the attack?" He asked gently.

"No." She shook her head. "But… my younger sister was."

"Was she hurt?"

Again she shook her head, "She's fine… at least physically. I don't know if anyone who made it out of there is really doing alright mentally." She didn't say anything else, and Harry didn't push. He'd seen an emotion in her eye that he hadn't yet perceived from her when she spoke about her sister.

They stayed mostly silent for the next few hours after that, only exchanging a few words here and there. Both were deep in thought about different aspects of their conversation. Finally, both were brought out of their reverie by a beeping coming from the main console. Winter hurried over, "We're entering Atlas airspace, we should be arriving soon."

"Sounds good," he said leaning to the side to look out the window. All he saw was snow. "Seems like a real habitable place."

He saw her glance his way out of the corner of his eye, "The people of Atlas have always faced hardships the other Kingdoms have not. It is what drove our people to push the boundaries of what we know. To innovate. The technologies we have designed are what allow us to live the style of life we do today." To his disappointment, it seemed his sarcasm has been ignored, not that he didn't find what she said interesting, because he did. He'd noticed she'd proceeded to get more and more formal, the closer they got to their destination. Winter Schnee was a riddle… an enigma… someone he couldn't help but want to figure out.

Suddenly a radio crackled to life, "Unidentified inbound Bullhead. You have entered Atlas airspace. Please identify, and state your purpose."

Winter held down a button and spoke into a microphone he hadn't seen till now, "Atlas Air Control. This is Specialist Schnee of the Atlesian Military, flying AM-1900. Our course is set for Atlas Academy."

There was a pause filled with only radio static before the voice came back, "S-specialist Schnee, ma'am. We were not made aware of your flight plan. Please proceed on your current course. Do you have anything to declare?"

Harry noticed Winter briefly glance his way again before answering, "I do have one non-Atlas citizen on board.

Again there was silence, "I'm sorry ma'am but current orders from the council state that only Atlas Citizens are currently allowed inside the borders."

"I can assure you that my companion's entering is crucial to an ongoing classified Atlas Military Operation. If you would like to take the time and disturb the General to double check, then go ahead."

The person on the other end of the transmission answered quickly, "I'm sure that won't be necessary. Please proceed to hanger 2. Over and out."

The line disconnected. "Does the General already know I am coming?"

"No, not as of yet."

"I never took you for the rule breaking type. Will you get in trouble for lying to Air Control?"

"I didn't lie!" She narrowed her eyes, looking at him pointedly. "Though I have not filled you in on the details, you speaking to the General is now very much intertwined with my mission. I assumed they would not want to disturb him, and if they actually had, I am sure he would have contacted me to find out what this was all about. I would have been able to convince him without giving too much away to order you allowed entrance."

"How very Slytherin of you."

"Excuse me?"

"Nevermind" He waved her away. "It's nothing. Remind me and I'll explain it another time."

He ignored her frustrated huff since he was more interested in the sights out the window. He could see a city below him. He wasn't sure why he found it surprising, especially with some of the technology he'd seen, but the city was quite modern. He continued to observe it with interest for several minutes, their bullhead weaving in and out of a few of the higher skyscrapers.

Finally, as the amount of buildings started to thin out, Harry set his sights on what he believed to be their destination. It was an extremely large compound. In the centre of the compound there was a large building with big inviting windows. It looked to be an entrance hall of sorts. The adjoining building behind, looked much more traditional, the front made of type of white stone shaped into numerous arches. The buildings on either side, leaving an open courtyard before the main building, looked much more nondescript.

Their bullhead slowly pulled to the side towards one of those buildings. Stopping before it, only then did Harry notice the large metal doors set into the ground. The one above which they were hovering was slowly opening. With a loud clang the mechanism stopped moving, and Winter guided them down into the hanger. They finally came to a rest with a small bump.

"Stay close to me. Once we get there, you'll have to remain outside while I speak to General Ironwood first to explain some things." Harry nodded. "Good."

The two exited the bullhead without saying much else. Harry did have to subtly use his magic to force the ramp back down from where it had gotten wedged. A man in uniform was waiting for them on the other side, taking notes on what looked to Harry to be some kind of advanced modern computer.

"Specialist Schnee, I see you have returned from your… confidential assignment." From the patch the man wore on his uniform, Harry was sure he was pretty high ranked. It seemed Winter's mission was even less well known than he'd thought, and if the man's tone was any indication, he wasn't pleased by that fact.

"Ah yes, Colonel Pervenche. I have indeed returned." Winter stood before the man not saying another word. He seemed to waiting for something. "If you'll excuse us, I must report to the General." She brushed by him, but at her words, the Colonel's eyes snapped to Harry.

"And who is this?" Winter stiffened only a moment.

"Mr. Potter here is a visitor to Atlas. I would stay and chat, but as I said before we really must be off."

"Halt!" The man's whole expression had just changed with an emotion Harry couldn't quite place. "The council has already ruled on these matters. All non citizens are banned from entering Atlas at this time. I will call for an armed escort to take him out."

Winter's eyes flashed dangerously, "I am aware of the council's ruling, but Mr. Potter here is a special case."

"He's the special case or you are? You may think you can get away with whatever you want Miss Schnee, but I assure you, neither your father, your family name, nor your money scare me."

If Harry had thought that Winter was mad before, it was nothing compared to the rage he saw now. The fact that her face remained impassive throughout just made it all the more scary. Her eyes on the other hand promised pain and sorrow to all who crossed her.

"And I assure you Colonel that this has nothing to do with my family. Mr. Potter's presence is required to complete my assignment." She smiled now, and somehow that was even more terrifying. "I would tell you more, but I'm afraid it's need to know only. You understand though, don't you Colonel?"

The man grit his teeth before biting out, "Fine. Just go!" He spun on the spot, and stomping away.

Winter scowled in his direction before beginning to walk the other way. Harry followed her, choosing not to talk so that she could cool down. Before leaving the hangar, they both stopped while Winter filled out some paperwork. It seemed this was standard procedure, though she did have to hunt down one of the staff members to get a specialized form to request repairs on the bullhead. Even from afar Harry could see the large gouges in the metal where the Nevermore had sunk its claws into them.

After that, they left the hangar, stepping into a long nondescript hallway. He figured it would be easy to get lost in here. The walls were all painted an off white, and gave off a very sterile feeling that most would associate with a hospital.

Harry felt like they walked on forever, and that's saying something, seeing as he used to have to walk around a giant castle to attend classes. Eventually they crossed into what appeared to be another wing of the compound. The decor here was a little less stark. He had a feeling they might be in the building with the big glass windows. They finally stopped in some sort of waiting room.

"Wait here. I'll be back to fetch you after I've spoken to General Ironwood."

"Sounds good." He took a seat in one of the chairs. Winter nodded before approaching a desk at the front of the room where a young female receptionist was working. She spoke to her for a moment about something Harry couldn't hear. The young woman waved Winter through to an elevator he hadn't noticed was behind the desk until then.

The last thing he saw before the door closed between them was Winter's blue eyes fixated on his own.

* * *

"What do you mean the second test subject was eliminated?" The voice that spoke usually so calm and collected was raised in one of it's rare bouts of anger. Said voice belonged a person who had lost the right to call themselves human many millennia before. Her bone-white fists were clenched on top of her large table top.

The green haired girl to which she was speaking quailed under her crimson gaze. "I-I went and observed the attack as you requested ma'- your highness. There was a man with the Schnee girl. He killed the second test subject with a single strike and then protected their bullhead while she got it ready to fly."

"A single man, no matter how skilled can't hold off an entire Grimm horde."

"He did! I don't know h-how, but he has powers. They were like that of a maiden, but not. He killed the giant Nevermore you sent with a single strike of lightening."

"He is not a Maiden, no man can inherit their powers!"

"I know what I saw. H-he may not have been a Maiden, but he had magic."

The Queen, also known as Salem, looked out over the expanse of her land. Quietly observing the black tar-like pits from which she summoned her Grimm, she thought of what she had just learned. He hadn't used his magic like that in centuries. "What have you done Ozpin?"

"Your grace?"

The Grimm Teen spun back around to observe the teen before her. "Leave me Emerald. Go back to caring for Cinder."

Emerald Sustrai, the once infamous thief, bowed hastily, before all but fleeing from the chamber. Salem stroked her red veined face. Something had changed. Magic, other than her own, was returning. She had a lot to do.


	4. Meeting the General

**Chapter 4**

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _Got another chapter done for all of you guys. Basically just the big meeting with Ironwood you've all been waiting for. My update rate is probably going to slow down a bit again now that I'm back at school. I'll do my best though. I really hope you all enjoy this. Please leave me a review letting me know what you all think. Thank you for everyone who already has. I read them all, and it helps put me in the mood to write when I know there are people enjoying it. Cheers everyone!_

* * *

"Excuse me sir. I didn't mean to interrupt. I was told I could come right up. If you'd prefer that I return at ano-"

"No that's fine Specialist Schnee. We are just finishing up here." The General sat behind his large desk speaking to another officer. It hadn't been until she was halfway across the room that Winter had noticed that the General was not alone. She had been distracted by thoughts of her recent traveling companion still sitting downstairs.

She still wasn't sure what to think of Mr. Potter, or rather Harry, as he preferred to be called. When she'd first woken up in his tent, she had been sure it was a kidnapping attempt. She'd had to deal with them her whole life, so it wasn't that strange of a possibility. The fact that her weapon had been easily accessible to her, had just made her think these kidnappers were either extremely foolish or severely overconfident.

It wasn't until she had started talking with him that she had remembered the encounter that had knocked her unconscious in the first place. She'd realized how much of a bad impression she was making by attacking her host shortly after, not that she had trusted him yet either. Despite learning the truth about the Maidens, magic, and who they were facing several months earlier, none of it could have prepared her to witness the feats she saw Harry perform. His magic had been so far beyond what she'd expected, and she had the feeling what she'd seen was only the tip of the iceberg.

As for his personality, she was of two minds. At first he seemed quite sarcastic, and like he didn't take much seriously. He had reminded her so strongly of that idiot Qrow that she wanted to scream in frustration at her bad luck of being saved by someone like him. That opinion had slowly been changing as she'd gotten to know him. He still seemed a little rough around the edges, but unlike Qrow, seemed to be able to take things seriously if need be. He could be quite kind, and she could see the passion in his eyes when he spoke about magic. The fact that he wasn't a drunk helped too. There was also something familiar about him. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she had this gut feeling that if anyone could understand her, it might be him.

She pushed those thoughts out of her head for now. All that was important was the report she was about to make and how well she presented Harry to the General. She wasn't sure if she should mention his claims of being from another world. His magic could easily be proven, but the other… not so much. Despite all that, she still found herself believing him. She didn't know why. It defied all logic, and he really had no proof that his claims were true, but she didn't think he was lying, or that he was crazy.

"Thank you Lieutenant. I'll read over your report again, and have an answer sent to you by end of day tomorrow." The officer in question snapped off a salute, before striding out of the office. Neither Winter nor Ironwood said a word until they heard the door click shut.

"Winter, it's good to see you back. Are you hurt?" He looked concerned. "Your return is late, and you never checked in."

"I am uninjured, though I did run into some snags along the way."

"Oh?"

"Everything went according to plan up until my final approach. It seems the conspiracy theories about the Queen's ability to control the creatures of Grimm is not as far fetched as we thought."

The General jumped to his feet swearing as he begun to pace back and forth, "There was always a chance, but… our researchers believed that the behaviour of the dragon at Beacon was just a coincidence. I didn't think tha- it doesn't matter anyways. How did you figure it out?"

"The density of Grimm skyrocketed once I approached their base of operation. I tried to sneak in, but often could not avoid actively engaging them. I thought I was still entering unnoticed, but she knew I was coming the whole time. It was a trap. She allowed me through their defenses just so they could catch me where they wanted."

Ironwood had stopped moving, fixated solely on the report he was being given. "Were you able to get anything?"

"I can confirm that our intelligence was correct. This is in fact their base of operation. I… I also found the source."

The General's body froze. "I... Winter are you… are you saying you... are you sure?"

"Yes James. I saw it. The source of the Grimm."

He sat back down in his chair heavily, looking weary. "And?"

"It's a big open plain before her fortress. She has fields upon fields of these pools. They look to be full of some kind of tar-like substance. I saw the new Grimm clawing their way out of it one by one."

The General shuddered. "What happened after you were discovered? Did they capture you?"

"No, but it was close. I had to go through waves of Grimm just to make it back to my bike. I sped out of there after that. She sent a small pack of Beowolves who gave chase for a while. Eventually my front tire was damaged and my bike was wrecked. I took down the Beowolves that were following me with ease, but… that's when… it showed up."

"It?"

"She's been experimenting on humans James. It was a Grimm-human hybrid." Ironwood looked disgusted. "It was extremely fast. I didn't even see it in time to respond. All it took was one hit and I was knocked unconscious."

"How are you still alive then? I would have thought it would kill you at that point?"

"Someone saved me."

"What? There shouldn't be anyone on that continent other than the Queen and her supporters!"

"It was a magic user."

"A Maiden? Which one! Did you bring them back with you?"

"Not a Maiden. He was a man." Ironwood looked shocked, and obviously attempting to gather his thoughts. "He's down in the lobby."

His eyes snapped back to Winter, "You brought him into Atlas?" He began reaching for his scroll. "Is he safe?"

"Wait!" Ironwood froze, while Winter blanched. "I'm sorry sir. That was out of line, I-"

"Forget about it," he waved her off, "I'm sure you have a good reason. Now, tell me what you were going to say."

"Yes sir. His name is Harry Potter. He says he is a wizard and I can attest to seeing his magical prowess. I do not believe he is a threat to the people of Atlas. I wouldn't have brought him here if I thought he was. He saved my life, and protected me while I was unconscious, then the next day aided me in returning to my bullhead. There he protected it from the Grimm while I went through start up procedures. I would have died several times over if it were not for his actions."

The General looked thoughtful as he brought his hand away from his scroll. "What else can you tell me about him?"

"He is as dedicated to taking her down as we are." He raised one of his eyebrows. "The security cameras caught some of this as we were leaving, I thought you might like to see it."

Winter placed her scroll down on his desk, the video she'd queued up immediately coming up one of the big screens. The two of them watched Harry, his back to the camera as he faced the forest. All they saw him do was slam his staff onto the ground. It wasn't until a few moments later that the Grimm started to come through and the trees came to life. Ironwood's eyes had widened considerably. Winter touched her scroll fastforwarding through until they came to the part where the Goliath barged in.

"A Goliath! How are you both alive?"

"Just watch."

And so they did. They watched as Harry tripped the beast with ease. They watched as he scaled it's side. They watched as he drew the weird symbols onto its skin, and they watched as the beast began to evaporate away as if it had never existed.

"I- I don't believe this." He ran his hands through his hair, but didn't stop watching.

The next few minutes showed Harry keeping the Grimm horde at bay using a combination of what looked like telekinetic blasts, elemental attacks, and throwing a dagger that kept returning to his hand. Once that was done, and he had entered the bullhead, Ironwood began to look away only to freeze once again as the giant Nevermore swooped into view.

Not much could be seen on the camera as the giant areal Grimm tried to force itself in until, seemingly out of nowhere it tore its head free and seemed to retreat. They saw why a moment later as Harry's staff was clearly visibly sticking out it's eye. The bird started coming back for another attack when suddenly the sky darkened. The largest bolt of lightening either of them had ever seen came blasting out of the sky, and striking the staff. They both watched in awed silence, even Winter who had been there, as the remains of the Grimm fell out of frame.

Winter recovered first already knowing what would be shown, "As you can see he is quite powerful."

Ironwood's stared off into the distance, deep in thought. Eventually his eyes slowly came back to rest on Winter, "And you're sure he'll work for us?"

"I don't know if he'll work for us, but I'm fairly certain he'll work with us. The question is if we can afford not to work with him."

Ironwood nodded, "Let's bring him up then. Might as well have a conversation." Winter fidgeted slightly, something the Generals flicked to immediately. "What is it? You have something else to report first?"

"I-", Winter steeled herself, "He claims he is not from Remnant. He says he is from another dimension and was transported here through a magic portal."

The General just stared at her before shaking his head, "That's ridiculous. He's obviously lying. We'll have to figu-"

"I believe him," she said quietly.

"Excuse me?"

This time she spoke with more conviction, "I believe him."

Ironwood observed her carefully, "Winter, I've known you for a very long time. Moving up the ranks of the military, I became acquaintances with your father. I met you one of the first times I was invited to your family's manor. Over the years I've seen you grow up from the girl you were into the woman you are today. I saw when you and your father started having… issues. I remember the day you finally stood up to him, and came to enlist in Atlas Academy and join the Military. Your father came to me that day too, all but ordering that I deny your application and send you home. I ignored him, and it's put a strain on our relationship ever since, but at the same time you have become my top Specialist. The point I'm trying to make is I think I know you quite well." He sighed. "I don't know you to trust easily. Your one of the most logical thinkers I've ever met. What has made you so sure with him?"

"I don't really know. It's just a feeling. As you said I'm not usually one to trust anything without proof, but something about him is different. It's only been two days, and I somehow already feel comfortable trusting him with my life."

He dropped his gaze after another moment of thought, "I don't know if I can believe his story. It's too far fetched… but I won't make an issue out of it. I'll also treat him as if he doesn't have much information on Remnant. If he decides to work with us, I'll trust you'll fill him in on anything he doesn't know."

"Of course General."

He nodded. Then pressing a button that connected him to his secretary downstairs, he relayed his instructions.

* * *

Harry was amused. So this is what Winter had meant by asking him if he was the Wizard from the Story of the Four Seasons. He'd gotten bored waiting around, and quickly approached the secretary at the front of the room to ask a few questions. She'd directed him to a terminal station at the side of the room. Over the past few years he'd tried to keep abreast of innovations in the muggle world, and considered himself decent at using a computer. The technology here on Remnant seemed to be much more advanced, but it was surprisingly user friendly, and Harry was soon able to look up the story she'd mentioned on this world's version of the internet. He hadn't expected to find anything meaningful, he just needed to pass the time. Just as he'd expected, it seemed to be a children's story.

Suddenly, Harry heard someone clearing their throat across the room. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the secretary looking at him. Closing out what he'd pulled up, Harry approached the desk. "Yes?"

"The General will see you now. Please head up the elevator behind me."

"Thanks." Harry stepped inside, the doors closing just a moment after. It was only then that he realized he wasn't sure what floor to go to. He noticed pretty quickly that the elevator didn't seem to have any buttons anyway, and was already moving. _'Hmm. Must be controlled from the outside. Probably a security measure.'_

Feeling it come to a stop, there was another loud ding, and the door opened. Stepping into the room, Harry slowly let his eyes wander over everything. You could tell a lot about a person base on how they organized their office.

When the idiot Fudge had been in power, though he'd never seen it himself, Harry had heard from others that he liked to keep lots of photos of himself meeting with other important individuals, somewhat like Slughorn in that regard, as well as other expensive baubles he'd received from Lucius Malfoy.

Minister Scrimgeour, having taken power when the war had begun in earnest, had been known to keep large bulletin boards, not unlike you'd see in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, all over his office. They were nothing more than props, but he had to be seen doing something right?

On the other end of the spectrum, you had someone like Dumbledore. Though not arrogant in the same way as to display momento's of his own achievements, or any other kind of wealth, the famous Hogwarts Headmaster had always loved the play up the sense of mysticism surrounding himself. The numerous strange and rare gadgets, constantly whirling or puffing smoke, only served to heighten those feelings.

When Umbridge had been at Hogwarts… well… he didn't even know where to begin on that. It's safe to say, whenever Harry saw that peculiar shade of pink anywhere, he could usually be found heading in the opposite direction.

On to the office he was currently residing in? Honestly, it reminded him a lot of Kingsley's office once he's become Minister. Though big, it was simple and efficient. No unneeded items or decorations. Just a large window overlooking the courtyard, a big desk full of paperwork, and a computer/terminal screen.

It was the man behind the desk he found interesting. He seemed to fit many of the stereotypes of a soldier. He was big with broad shoulders, had a strong jaw, hair short on the sides, only slightly longer on top, and said hair was black with a little bit of grey growing in. He seemed to be watching Harry wearily, but with no hostility. Winter's face was a blank mask, but the ever so slight clenching of her jaw that he caught out of the corner of his eye told him that she was nervous.

"Mr… Potter, is it?"

Harry nodded. "General Ironwood, I presume?" Getting a nod in return, Harry held out his hand with a small smile. "Please, call me Harry."

"Very well Harry. Please have a seat." They both did so. "Your recent… appearance… will most likely cause quite a stir, and changes many things for our current… efforts."

Harry smiled thinly, "Yes, well, I seem to have that effect. I've always had the most peculiar luck."

"First of all, I'd like to thank you for saving my operative. Specialist Schnee is very important to the Atlesian Military."

"It was no problem. It's not like I could leave a Lady in such dire straights." He said with a grin, which faded slightly when he saw the warning look Winter was shooting him. He hastily added, "Not that she can't take care of herself, I saw evidence of that myself, with how she dealt with those wolf-like Grimm so easily."

Ironwood chuckled, and didn't comment for a few seconds. "She is one of Atlas' best." Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Winter stand a little straighter, her cheeks suddenly a little flushed. "Now, I'll get right down to the point. I know you have magic, powerful magic at that. Before we go any further, I need to know what your plans are for Remnant. Who's side are you on?"

"What did… Miss Schnee tell you of my origins?"

"Specialist Schnee told me of your claims." The General sighed. "They sound insane, and yet she says she believes you." Harry eyes flicked over towards Winter. He was a little surprised. He knew she'd implied earlier that she believed him, but he hadn't expected her to support him on that front with Ironwood. "That says a lot to me, as I trust her judgement. That being said, I'm still not sure if I can believe you. It won't be an issue though. It's probably a topic better left unresolved for now."

Harry nodded, "That's better than I had expected. As for who's side I'm on. I'm on no one's at the moment. I don't know enough about this world to make an informed decision. My only goal at the moment is hunting down the sorcerer who's been summoning so many demons, or as you call them Grimm, to this world. The same person who sent them after us when we were trying to escape on the bullhead."

Ironwood leaned forward against his in interest, "What do you mean summoned?"

"Exactly as it sounds. You didn't believe those abominations were native to this world did you? They are summoned from the void between universes. A form of sentient energy given physical form, hungering for the only things they want: magic and life."

Winter and her General shared a look. "You're saying in order to summon the Grimm, that… she… has magic too?"

"She?"

To his credit, Ironwood only hesitated for a second, "We have intel on the one we believe responsible for all this, and my guess would be on her being your sorcerer… or is it sorceress? Anyway, for years we've codenamed her the Queen, but we've recently learned that she goes by another name… Salem."

Harry snorted much to the Generals shock and Winter's mortification. "I'm sorry, I know this is serious, but what's up with all these names that Dark Lords and Ladies come up with? Just once I want to meet a Dark Lord who goes by something normal, like Frank… or Bob!" Harry laughed.

"Right... "

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry." Harry wiped his watering eyes, "So Salem. Yes, she will have magic."

Ironwood shared another look with his subordinate. "If you're being honest about your intentions, it seems our goals may be aligned, at least for the moment. If you are open to it, it may be profitable for the both of us to work together to end this problem. We'll need your expertise on magic, seeing as the leader of our group, a good friend of mine, who had the most knowledge on the subject has since disappeared and is assumed dead."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Ironwood nodded his thanks. Harry was already thinking this might be a great opportunity. He usually preferred to work alone, especially when working with others might tie him down, but being on an unfamiliar would, he knew it would be good to have allies. There were many things he probably wouldn't be able to get done being an unknown. "I am open to the idea. How exactly do you propose for this to work?"

"I don't think you officially joining the Military would be for the best. You didn't attend Atlas Academy and- well I just don't think it's the best option. I had a feeling that wouldn't be your first option either." Harry agreed. "So, I was thinking more along the lines of you acting like a consultant. In reality when on missions you'll be more of an honorary Specialist, but I have to put something down on paper… hence a consultant."

"I guess that would be acceptable."

"Good. Most Specialists work with partners. Specialist Schnee is a bit of a special case, seeing as I've had her dedicated to working on more confidential assignments. Because of our current circumstances I think I'll assign you two to work together, unless there are any major concerns?"

Harry grinned, looking over at Winter, "I guess you're stuck with me a bit longer than."

Choosing not to answer, she spoke to the General, "I have no concerns with this at the moment."

He nodded, "Now, I believe there is only one more thing I need to fill you in on for this situation. I'm assuming because of your… past… that you don't know the story of the Seasons."

"Actually I do." Both of the other occupants of the room suddenly sat up straighter. Winter was giving him a strange look.

"You do?"

Harry hummed an affirmative, "Wi- I mean Specialist Schnee mentioned the story on our Bullhead ride back here. I'd never heard it so when I was stuck waiting in the room downstairs I looked it up on the terminal. How's that important to what's going on here." As he spoke, Ironwood had given Winter a stern look, causing her to appear mildly abashed. Suddenly the reason behind Winter's question, and why General Ironwood would bring it up now, suddenly clicked. "It's true isn't it, the story?"

"We have no way of knowing if the story itself is true, but we do know the Maidens are real. The organisation I mentioned earlier, the one where we lost our leader, it has been around for centuries. It's purpose is to protect the Maidens, and in conjunction, Remnant."

"So how exactly does the Maiden thing work? Does it make these women immortal? You did say centuries."

"No." Ironwood shook his head, "It does not make them immortal. The power is passed down from person to person. When a Maiden dies, their power usually goes to the last person in their thoughts. If that person is a man or an old woman or they aren't thinking of anyone at, then the power goes to someone random."

"Hmm… interesting. I'm sure these Maiden's would prove to be a valuable ally, but I'm still failing to see how they're related to our present situation."

It was Winter that answered him this time, "Do you remember how I was telling you about the recent tragedies at Vale and Beacon Academy." Harry nodded. "The person who planned and led this terrorist attack was a woman by the name of Cinder Fall. Several months before that, for the first time ever, a portion of a Maiden's power was stolen. Salem gave her the ability somehow. During the fall of Beacon, Cinder got the rest of the power by killing the true Fall Maiden who we had on life support."

Harry rubbed his head in frustration, feeling a headache come on. The Salem was starting to remind him of Voldemort. "If we're talking about stealing someone's magic here, we've entered a whole other level of threat. That kind of stuff is deeply tied to the darkest of soul magics. Adding in her affinity with demon summoning, and we've got a truly fearsome opponent."

"That's basically all we know." Ironwood stepped in again. "I sent Specialist Schnee to try and gather data on our enemy where we have now confirmed their base resides. Apart from that, we believe one of the other kingdoms, most likely Mistral, might be the target of another attack similar to the one on Vale. Unfortunately, we're having difficulty getting in contact with the Headmaster of Haven Academy."

"What do you propose we do?"

"First? Rest up. You both just returned from the wilds. I'll spend the next few days planning, and then we can see where it would be best to assign the two of you. As for tonight, Atlas Academy can host you in one of the open spots in the barracks. It's not the best of accommodations, but it will have to do while I look for something better. If I can't find a room, I'll have you put up in a hotel in Atlas or something."

"Thank you General, that's ver-"

"I have an extra room." Both men turned to look at Winter after she'd blurted that out. "My apartment has a spare room that's never used. You're welcome to stay there for the foreseeable future."

"Are you sure?" Her offer did sound nice, but Harry really didn't want to impose. They were already going to be working together quite closely it seemed, and he thought she might appreciate some time to herself.

She nodded, "I am. You saved my life. It's the least that I can do."

"Thank you."

"Perfect, that clears all that up then. If there's nothing else, I'll speak to you both soon."

"Actually, General, there was one thing," Harry spoke up.

"Yes?"

"How are Atlas' border defenses?"

His eyes narrowed, "Why do you ask?"

"It's just that, though it would be extremely difficult to cover an entire Kingdom, there is defensive magic I can use that will turn Grimm away, or cause them to flee an area. Unless they are enraged or Salem specifically takes control of them and orders them through the barrier, it would keep them out."

The General looked thoughtful, "Atlas hosts less Grimm than any other Kingdom due to our harsh climate. All of our defenses are more advanced as well. A Grimm presence within our borders is almost nonexistent."

"That's quite impressive."

"Thank you. I do appreciate your offer though. I will give it some thought. I feel it may prove useful during this effort, even if not right away like you thought." He smiled. "Now, the both of you need rest . Have a good afternoon."

"Thank you."

"Thank you sir."

* * *

"I'll call a car to come pick us up," Winter said, as Harry followed her down one of the nondescript halls. She was already tapping away on her small computerised phone-like device. He'd just learned they were called scrolls.

"That sounds good. I wanted to thank you again, for... you know… letting me stay with you. I'm sure it will be much nicer than being stuck in the barracks here."

She looked up at his comment, actually giving him a rare smile, "I should think so. I couldn't let my partner stay in accommodation that I'd consider unsuitable."

Harry grinned. It seemed she did have a bit of a sense of humour after all. As if emboldened by his response, some of the tension that he'd noticed she'd been carrying ever since they'd arrived in Atlas melted away, and she suddenly had a bit more sway in her step.

After another series of twists and turns in the underground labyrinth of a campus, they entered a hallway different than the others. Most noticeable was the brighter lighting coming in from the big windows on the one side, where it widened out considerably. It seemed it was a balcony overlooking another large room. A gymnasium of some kind.

Noting his curiosity, Winter veered over to the window, "Most student sparring matches take place in there." Harry stopped beside her. "It seems there is a combat class taking place presently."

Looking down over the room, Harry could see a set of bleachers off to the one side where most of the class' students were sitting. Two students were just walking towards a ring in the centre of the room. A middle aged man, who he assumed was the instructor, looked to be speaking.

The match started a minute later, and Harry watched the two teens trade blows back and forth with interest. They all seemed quite skilled, and were pulling off many physical feats he knew to be almost impossible for a regular human. "Did that sword just turn into a gun?" Harry was shocked, it seems the wonder of technology would never cease.

"Of course? Do you not have weapons like this in your world."

Harry shook his head, "No. I have to say I've never seen anything quite like that."

Now, it was Winter's turn to look surprised, "Well, Mechashift weapons are quite popular here on Remnant, especially for Huntsmen. Not everyone uses them but the majority do. My sword does to an extent, though it is quite straightforward, much like my sisters. No gun combinations for us."

Harry nodded, "It's very impressive what they're able to do. It actually gives me several ideas."

Suddenly Winter looked at him in concern, "What are you going to do about your staff? Do you have to build a new one? You'll need something if we are going on a mission anytime soon."

"If I can get my hand on some wood, I can put together another temporary one, but as I was saying, seeing all of this has given me some ideas. How do these get there hands on weapons like these?"

"Well it depends. Some learn to craft them themselves, while there are also tonnes of weapons designers around who take commissions."

"Do you know any good ones who you could introduce me to?"

"I do… but I'm not sure how they will be able to help you. None of them can work with magic. It's best to let as few people know about your powers as possible too."

"Don't worry." Harry smiled. "I have my ways."

Winter huffed in frustration, checking her scroll. "My driver should be here. Let's go."


	5. Winding Down

**Chapter 5**

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _Hey everyone, sorry for the long wait. I got back to University and was starting a new term. I did have time despite that, but I've been stuck on this chapter for a while, and I'm still not too sure how happy I am about it. I knew what I needed to happen and what I wanted to set up, but everytime I went to go write I only ever seemed to get 100 - 200 words down before quitting. I've spent lots of time reading fanfics instead. Finally this week I got back at it though and pushed this out. I hope the wait for the next chapter isn't as long. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this, next chapter some of the more exciting stuff should be beginning. Thanks for all the support in the follows, favorites, and reviews. I love hearing from you all so please continue to review and let me know what you think._

* * *

Harry couldn't help himself from looking around with interest. He was hoping that seeing how Winter kept her apartment would give him more of an insight into the enigma that was his new partner. He was somewhat surprised when he did. It was a good size, with large modern windows on the outer walls, but at the same time was not overly extravagant. The one officer who'd confronted them yesterday had confirmed Harry's suspicions that Winter was well off, or at least her family was, and he'd somewhat expected her home to be a bit more grandiose. He liked it though, it was comfortable.

"Well this is it," Winter motioned around the room, for the first time looking sort of nervous to hear his opinion.

"It's very nice." He said with a smile. "I like how open it is. It sort of reminds me of the flatt I own back home. I went for the big windows as well. The place I'd inherited from my godfather when he passed was so dark. It didn't let in any natural light, and that's actually sorta why I moved in the first place."

"Thank you," she smiled before motioning to one of the doors off the main hall. "You can take the guest room if you'd like. Sheets are in the closet. I know you mostly keep all your stuff in that small bag, but feel free to leave whatever you want in there."

Harry nodded, going and sticking his head in said room to give it a look. Seeing the bare bed, he decided to deal with it first. Opening the closet she'd mentioned, he found the sheets. With a practiced motion, he threw them over the mattress, tucking the edges in underneath. He threw a couple pillows up top, before pulling the covers up as well.

"Is this also because your wand is broken, or do you wizards not magic your beds made?" Winter was standing in the doorway. "If I could avoid tasks like that, I think I'd take any advantage I could get."

"More habit than anything. I've been doing these kind of chores for my Aunt and Uncle for as long as I can remember, so I usually forget to use magic. I'm not sure how well I would do with those kind of charms wandlessly though."

She frowned, but didn't say anything else on the subject. Walking towards the door, he followed her out. "Are you hungry? I can call ahead to get us a table at a suitable restaurant for dinner if you would like?"

"I could eat, but you want to go out after just getting back from a mission?"

"Of course. You want to... " she looked around awkwardly, "eat here?"

"If I am remembering correctly, I think I did say I would awe you with my culinary prowess? What do you say?"

"I don't have much here. I don't actually… cook much."

"Is there somewhere to buy food nearby?"

"There's a place to get groceries a couple buildings over…"

"Perfect!" Harry was already heading towards the door. "You coming?"

Winter sighed.

* * *

"There you go my Lady." Harry placed the steaming dish down in front of the still somewhat disgruntled looking Winter. They'd recently returned from their short trip out to the store, something Winter hadn't looked like she'd wanted to be doing at all, and Harry had gotten started cooking right away. Now, as he sat himself down, he watched his host eagerly to see their response. She'd seemed surprised that he actually knew his way around the kitchen despite his earlier claims, but now was back to eyeing her new food with a hint of suspicion. "It's not poisoned if thats what your wondering."

"I didn't think that!" She retorted indignantly. Harry simply raised one of eyebrows. "I just have high tastes that's all."

"Oh? So why don't you actually give it a try and see if it's acceptable or not, instead of just staring at it while it gets cold?"

"Fine, I will." In a series of practiced motions, Winter cut her pasta, swiped it onto her fork, and twirled it around her spoon, all before placing it into her mouth. As she took in the new flavours, Harry watched her carefully. He couldn't help but grin as her eyes widened.

"So?" Winter jumped almost as if she'd forgotten he was there. She finished chewing while she hastily rearranged her face into a more neutral expression. "Do I pass your standards?"

"It's acceptable."

"Just acceptable, eh?"

"I'll have you know that I have standards "

"I know, you already said that."

"Well, I have very high standard then." Harry eyed her dubiously until she continued to speak. "Maybe if you continue to cook for me, you might eventually succeed in impressing me. They say practice makes perfect."

Harry snorted, and was unable to hide his grin. "If you wanted me to keep on cooking for you, you could just ask," he teased.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I thought I'd do you the favour of allowing you to continue to practice while you are around someone with a pallet as refined as my own."

"I see," he said dryly. "I guess I can keep on cooking then. It's the least I can do if your letting me stay here."

Harry knew Winter liked the meal more than she was letting on. Her initial facial expression when she'd tried it had told him that, but somehow unintentionally, whatever the two of them were doing had become like some sort of game. They always seemed to be struggling to get the upperhand in each situation. To her, it was about being in complete control of her emotions at all times, while to him, it was more about not being caught off guard. It had happened enough in his childhood, that he always strived to be prepared these days. Harry wasn't really sure how to describe their predicament. Their banter sort of felt like flirting to him, but he didn't think Winter would think of it that way, plus with his still meagre experience with the opposite sex, he wasn't so sure.

"So where'd you learn to cook so well?" She asked as their meal wound down. "I didn't see you use any magic, so I figured it was nothing related to that?"

"No, your right. If I'm going to cook properly, I like to do it the good old fashioned way." He began, before his expression bittered slightly. "As for how I learned to cook, well my Aunt and Uncle had me helping out by the age of five. Let's just say I learned quickly not to make mistakes."

"You mentioned your Aunt and Uncle before, did you not grow up with your parents?"

Harry sighed. Over the years he'd become a lot more comfortable with both his fame and talking about his childhood, but he still didn't necessarily enjoy it. It wasn't like he'd just tell anybody about his relatives, but he felt he could trust Winter with some details. They'd fought for their lives together already… that had to mean something.

"My parents were murdered when I was one years old, and I was forced to go live with my mother's sister's family after that."

"Oh." Winter's eyes widened once again. Looking embarrassed she offered, "I'm sorry. I didn't realize."

"It's fine." He waved it away. "You didn't know. Actually, it's sort of refreshing running into someone who doesn't already know."

"What do you mean?"

"You remember how I was telling you how there are a lot more magic users in my world than here on Remnant?" She nodded. "Well, years and years ago, one exceptionally powerful wizard rose up. His name was Tom Riddle, but he liked to call himself Lord Voldemort. He started gathering lots of other wizards to his cause under the pretense of wiping out magic users who weren't born to magical parents. Many in my world believed that unless you could trace magic users back through your ancestry for a certain number of generations, you were somehow less worthy than others."

"That sounds similar to some of the beliefs during the Faunus war. Many people were killed if they were discovered to have any faunus ancestry."

"Unfortunately, I could see that happening. I don't agree with this White Fang group you spoke of, but based on what you said about the Faunus, I find their plight to be very similar to that of the muggleborns back home." Winter looked confused. "That's the name we have for the people I spoke of with no recorded magical ancestry."

"That's interesting and all, but what does it have to do with your parents?"

"Well, once my parents graduated from school, they joined a group dedicated to fighting against Voldemort. As I told you before, my mother was a muggleborn. They eventually got married and had me. Because of their opposition to Voldemort amongst other reasons, he personally decided to hunt them down. We were betrayed by one of my father's closest friends who told Voldemort where we were. He came to our house, and murdered both my parents." Harry paused for a moment.

"It's ok, you don't have to tell me anymore if you don't want to." Harry glanced up at her face, and was surprised to see the completely unconcealed compassion on her face. It was probably the most open he'd seen her with her emotions. He wasn't sure how to feel about that. On one hand he'd sort of hoped she'd open up to him more, but he didn't want her to do it in pity.

"It's alright. I've come to terms with their death a long time ago. I just was thinking what else I needed to explain… well what you need to understand is that there's something called the killing curse. It… well… the names pretty self explanatory. It's thought to be completely unblockable by magical means. Sure if there was a physical barrier in between you, it wouldn't hit, but otherwise it can't be stopped. Once it hits you it's game over. Instant death. No cures. No second chances."

Winter was watching Harry warily now, which Harry picked up on immediately. He knew she'd seen some of his powers. That magic that he'd used was truly much more powerful than the killing curse, but as he already knew, there was something insidious about the thought of a curse that could kill so easily, and so effectively. "There's magic like that?"

"There is. It's outlawed where I came from. It's use against another person, is an immediate one way ticket to life in prison." Winter relaxed slightly but still seemed a bit nervous. "Don't worry. Going around murdering people is the last thing you need to worry about me doing. That curse took my parents from me. You'll never see me using it."

She nodded, but only looked somewhat apologetic. "I'm sorry to bring up these memories. It's just that powers like you are describing are a huge risk to our people, and though I don't think you'd ever use them in that way… it just gives me a lot to think about."

Harry sighed internally, "It's fine. As I was saying, he killed my parents and then tried to kill me, except it didn't work. The curse rebounded and hit him, destroying his body. It's the first time in recorded history that someone has survived being hit with that curse. It made me famous. They even gave me a moniker too. The-Boy-Who-Lived. Like I really wanted to be named something that constantly reminded me of the fact I was an orphan. Do you want to know what the worst part was? It wasn't even because of me that I survived. My mum sacrificed her life for me, and through a form of ancient magic blessed me with a protection from Voldemort. He couldn't touch me. It was all because of her, and she didn't get any of the credit."

"I... I don't know what to say." She seemed to be telling the truth. Harry could tell Winter seemed out of her depth, and he had a feeling she wasn't used to talking to someone about these kinds of things. "She sounds like an incredible woman. To give your life for someone else is a tremendous thing. She sounds like a hero."

"Even though I never got to meet or grow up with her, I choose to believe she was. A hero? She is for me at least. When I found out the truth of what happened that night, I spent a lot of time feeling guilty. I felt that it was my fault they were killed. It took a lot for me to start seeing it another way. For them there was no other choice to make. Wouldn't any parent give their life for their child? Isn't that the way it works?"

Winter's previously open expression hardened suddenly as she muttered, "I wouldn't be so sure of that."

Harry's forehead crinkled at her words, but he didn't comment and decided to try steer the conversation away from him as it was getting a little heavy. "What about your family? You mentioned you had a sister, and that man we met in the hanger mentioned your father I believe?"

Winter looked somewhat surprised as her eyes widened, "I do have a younger sister named Weiss. She was the one I spoke of who was present at the fall of Beacon." Suddenly her face tightened, as her lips were pushed together in a tight line. "I also have a younger brother named Whitley." She said that name with a surprising amount of distaste to Harry.

"You don't get along well?"

She hesitated as if unsure of actually answering before coming sort of decision and shaking her head vehemently, "He's a little snake just like my father. There's a pretty big age gap between us, but even when he was younger he always tried to suck up to father. At least he was harmless back then. Nowadays I wouldn't turn my back to him at any time. He'll do anything to get father's approval. It's actually quite sickening."

Harry chuckled nervously. He had not expected that. "Your father as well?"

She shot him a dirty look but didn't respond to his comment. "Other than Weiss and Whitley there is just my mother and father."

"So… what does your father do? It sounded like he was important?"

"He likes to think he is." Harry saw Winter's hand clench around her cutlery before she seemed to force herself to take a deep breath. "He's the head of the Schnee Dust Company."

"Dust?"

She looked shocked, "You don't have dust where you're from?"

"We do… but I have a feeling we are talking about two different things. You don't mean dust that accumulates on something if you leave it too long without cleaning it right?"

"No! Not that kind of dust. I'm talking about dust crystals. Energy propellant."

"Really?" Harry leaned forward eagerly. "A source of energy? I'm fairly certain this dust is unique to Remnant. It's found in crystals you say? I've never heard of anything like that on Earth."

She nodded, "It is, and now that I think about it you're most likely correct. Through a series of experiments into the possibility of space flight, we discovered that for some reason dust stops working once you leave Remnant's atmosphere. It's just so essential for our way of life that it took me by surprise that you didn't know what I was talking about."

Harry waved away her concerns much more interested in this new discovery, "How does it work?"

"Well strangely enough we still don't completely understand it. It tends to react to the aura of Humans and Faunus to release its power. There are four basic forms of dust. Wind, Fire, Water, and Earth."

"The elements?" He interrupted her.

"Yes, quite so." She confirmed. "I'm sure you can imagine it's effects then. There are other dust types as well, but they are made synthetically by mixing the main four."

"I see. Are you sure this dust is not magical in some way? Magic is the only thing I've ever seen that can influence the elements. The fact that you say it does not work outside the atmosphere supports this idea. There could be some kind of natural magical field around Remnant."

"It's possible. We've learned much about working with dust over the years, but still barely understand it."

"Hmm… I'll have to take a look at it some time." He let his mind wand for a moment, thinking of all the possibilities. "You said your father's company sells dust? That must be profitable. Especially if what you say about how essential it is, is true."

He noticed immediately that she seemed somewhat distressed again, "Yes, it is. The Schnee Dust Company is major supplier of dust in all four of the kingdoms. There used to be more competition, but most have gone out of business nowadays."

Harry whistled loudly. "That's quite impressive." He was starting to take the hint that she didn't seem to particularly enjoy speaking about her family, and planned to switch topics soon. "I'm sure growing up you had the benefit of learning lots about business then. That's probably helped you lots in your life." Harry felt that was a good last comment. He wanted to try and end on a positive, and figured they could move their conversation into safer waters. He hadn't expected her reaction.

"Benefit?" For the first time her voice sounded quite shrill. "Only if I wanted to get into the business of selling my soul for profit. He'd sell his own family if it would benefit him in any way." She looked Harry directly in the eye. "Trust me on that." Suddenly as if realizing what she said she stood from the table, her face stony. "Thank you for the meal Mr. Potter, but I'm feeling quite tired from our journey. I think I'll retire for this evening."

Without another word she swept from the room, the click of her bedroom door echoing throughout the rest of her apartment behind her. Harry sat there reeling from her sudden departure and internally berating himself for what he'd said. He'd completely bungled that up. He wasn't sure how he'd misread how far her problems with her family, or rather her father, really went. Out of anyone, Harry knew he should have sensed what was going on. She clearly hadn't wanted to talk about him, and had already alluded to him negatively when he'd continued to push her for more. On top of that, he'd basically complemented the man. He was pretty sure it would have been the same thing as listening to someone praise the Dursley's to his face right after learning about how horrible they'd treated him as a child. He needed to apologize.

Steeling himself, and gathering up the famous Gryffindor courage, Harry approached her room and knocked. He only had to wait a moment before the door was opened partway. "Yes?"

Her face was still blank which Harry took to mean she was still angry at him. Before he could say anything he was distracted by what she was wearing. He'd only really seen her in more formal attire. When he'd found her in the forest up until they'd arrived to her appartment, Winter had been wearing her military uniform. Even when they'd gone out shopping and had dinner she had been in what looked almost like professional business wear. It had seemed she'd got changed during the few minutes he'd been sitting at the table thinking, seeing as she was now wearing a t-shirt and fuzzy looking sweatpants. It made her look oddly normal, and Harry couldn't help but think she looked especially attractive at that moment.

He forced himself to refocus on what he was doing as he met her gaze. "Hi." He paused for a second somewhat awkwardly. "I wanted to appologize for a few minutes ago. I out of anyone should have noticed you didn't want to talk about your family, and I shouldn't have pushed you to do so. You'd already made it clear that you didn't get along with your father, so I shouldn't have made light of the situation. I don't know what's gone on in your life, and I was out of line. I hope you can forgive me."

Winter eyes had widened almost imperceptibly during his short speech but she remained silent after he stopped, as if judging him. "There's no need to apologize, though I do appreciate the sentiment. I'm just… sensitive… when it comes to matters relating to my family. I know you did not mean anything by your words. You didn't know anyway."

"Thank you. Is there anything you need or anything I can do?"

She gave him a more genuine smile, "No, I'm fine Harry. I'm just going to get ready for bed. Even though we were given a few days to recuperate before our next mission, we're going to be busy if we want to get everything we need ready. Most important will be getting you some kind of weapon."

"I guess I'll head off to bed too. It's been a busy day." He smiled. "Good night Winter."

"Good night Harry."

* * *

Harry eyed his partner who was currently his opponent from across the gym carefully. She was done up in her normally Atlesian Military attire, and had her sabre drawn. It had been several days since they'd first arrived in Atlas. General Ironwood had finally called them in. He wanted Harry's combat ability, sans magic of course, assessed.

"Are you sure you don't want to grab a practice weapon or something?" Winter asked looking at him with a tinge of concern.

"I'll be fine." He smiled before motioning to his holstered dagger. "I've got this if I need it."

Harry wasn't too nervous. He knew Winter was very skilled, even if he hadn't gotten to see her fight much yet, but he wasn't defenceless himself without magic. His experiences during the war had taught him the importance of knowing how to defend oneself physically. He'd been disarmed much too often for his own liking, and now knew it would have made a big difference. At the same time that he'd begun getting tutored in magic, he'd also hired personal trainers who'd helped him up his fitness. He'd begun training in martial arts, and after thinking on his experiences in the Chamber of Secrets, several types of weapons as well.

"Ms. Schnee. Mr. Potter. Are you ready?" The General had arrived along with a few others. He figured they were either other Military personnel or staff of Atlas Academy. He didn't let it bother him. They wouldn't be seeing any magic from him.

"I am." He answered as Winter simply nodded.

"Very well. We don't have an Aura monitor on you Mr. Potter, so please stop when you need to. Ms. Schnee please make sure you watch for this. If he signals to stop, you must do so immediately. We don't want any accidents." They both nodded. "Good. Now, let us begin. Three." Harry held himself lightly on his feet, watching his opponent. "Two." He saw Winter tighten her grip on her sword, and yet she still seemed relaxed. "One." He had a feeling that without his magic, she was underestimating him. "Go!"

Harry didn't move. He was going to let her come to him. She did just that. Darting forward Winter moved in a flash, trying to bring her blade up towards his exposed throat. She was good, but the training he'd done hadn't been for nothing. Years of practicing while infusing his own body with magic had helped him to develop enhanced reflexes that, if Winter was any indication, might be comparable with someone who'd had their aura unlocked here on Remnant.

Ducking down, Harry allowed her blade to pass unhampered above his head, before spinning kicking her back as she passed him. She stumbled but quickly recovered spinning to face him in a crouch. He could tell by the determined look in her eye that she wouldn't underestimate him so much again.

She took the initiative to attack again. He dodged to the side. The next sequence of mixed thrusts and swipes all missed their mark as well, but by doing so she'd started to maneuver Harry into a corner. Seeing no other option, Harry blocked her next strike with the Goblin made dagger he freed from its sheath. The clang of crashing metal rang through the previously quiet room.

He pushed her back after that. Going on the offense himself, Harry moved forward to take advantage of her reversal of momentum. Much like hers, all of his initial attacks missed their mark as well. Most were blocked by her sword, the rest deftly avoided as she danced out of the way. Harry had a feeling he might have underestimated her as well.

Putting some space between them Winter stopped, and pointed her sword towards him. Years of being on the receiving ends of threatening wands had keyed Harry into the fact that it usually wasn't a good thing. Like he thought, just as he dove to the one side, one Winter's signature white glyph like symbols appeared on the floor where he'd been standing. He didn't know what it would have done to him, and he wasn't going to stick around to find out.

Harry moved in again, hoping that her use of her semblance had required at least a good amount of concentration that he could capitalize on. It didn't seem to be his lucky day, because Winter was already turned towards him when he had only closed half the distance between them. She gave a flick of her wrist, and suddenly another sword split off from her original, which she caught in her off hand.

He was now feeling a little worried but he continued through his motion. Unfortunately, his dagger was parried aside by her main weapon, while her off hand sword was stabbed towards him. Leaning in closer to Winter to avoid getting skewered it's point, Harry twisted and grabbed her wrist. Twisting it in the angle he'd been taught, her hand opened involuntarily, and her weapon plummeted towards the ground. This left him open however, something Winter immediately took advantage of. Grabbing him with her other arm, Winter pulled him backwards in a strong grip. Before he even had the chance to move, Harry felt the steel of her sword at his throat.

"I notice you seem to like this position. Anything I should know?" Harry said as calmly as possible. He couldn't help but think of the last time she'd held a blade up to his neck when they'd first met.

She ignored his barb, "Do you yield?"

"You win." She released him, and he stumbled away a few steps.

"Well done." The General was clapping on the side. "I'll be with the both of you in just a moment."

As the general turned back to talk to the others in the room quietly, Harry put his weapon away.

"You did well." It was Winter. Harry couldn't help but feel warm at her praise. She wasn't always the most emotive person, especially when in public, but he knew any compliments she gave out were rare indeed.

"Didn't stop you from handing me my arse on silver platter did it?"

Harry saw her eye twitch at his choice of words but she didn't comment on it, "You still held me off for a few minutes. I also had use of my semblance, and you couldn't use your magic at all, something I believe I am correct in saying is your primary mode of combat."

"That's true, but you still thrashed me. Thank you for the compliment though. It means a lot."

She inclined her head.

"Potter! Schnee! Get over here." Ironwood beckoned them over The other observers were in the process of leaving. "As I said before, you did well. You weren't able to overcome Miss Schnee, but I would have been very surprised if you had. She's one of our very best in physical combat. You aren't the best I've seen in that area, but you are definitely skilled enough to pass as a huntsman if need be. Is it true, I'd heard that you've commissioned a weapon?"

Harry raised on of his eyebrows silently questioning how the General knew that already, but he answered anyway. "I did. I contracted something from the blacksmith who made Miss Schnee's weapon." The woman in question and Harry hadn't quite gotten along. She didn't understand why he needed all the runes inlaid in precious metals along her creation. She'd thought it would weaken the design, and since Harry wasn't supposed to tell her about magic, she'd been under the impression he just wanted it for esthetic appeal.

"I see. It should be of high quality then. When will it be done?"

"I'm supposed to pick it later today."

"Good. Good." Ironwood nodded, looking deep in thought. "I wanted to do another test with your magic, so I'd sent the others away, but if you haven't got your weapon yet-"

"I can do it." As he spoke, Harry ejected his new wand from his hidden hidden wrist holster.

The General's eyes lit up when they saw what Harry was holding. "So the samples of lumber I sent over helped?"

"They did. Thank you. This new wand isn't quite the same as my last, but it'll get the job done." They'd actually received the package of wood the first full day off the two had received. Harry had managed to craft an acceptable replacement, but he was by no means a master wandmaker. Ollivander was still much more skilled.

"If you're in agreement Miss Schnee?" General Ironwood asked.

"Of course sir." She agreed immediately, though Harry thought he'd caught a flicker of worry. She probably wasn't looking forward to facing magic outright.

Before long they were both back to the same starting positions. This time Harry had his wand out. The General finished his countdowns and the duel commenced. Once again, Harry didn't move right away, hoping to see what she was up to. When she didn't fall for the same trick, Harry acted.

All it took was a small flick of the wrist, and Winter was diving to the side, or at least attempting to unsuccessfully. Her feet were stuck to ground from the overpowered sticking charm he'd cast only seconds before.

"What? What is this?"

"Just a standard sticking charm. Not sure that I've ever used it in a duel though. First times for everything I guess."

Another flick of his wand, and a blue light shot from his wand and struck Winter. Her hand released her sword with a jerk, and the blade flew through the air. Another spell had it slowing down and gently being set on the ground.

"I concede." Winter's voice rang out somewhat tersely.

Harry looked over to her, unsure how she would react after experiencing magic more personally. She actually looked a little flushed which he found odd. Was she embarrassed about something? He sent a wordless "Finite Incantatem" on her. She seemed immensely relieved that her feet were free.

"That was incredible." The General said striding towards them and eyeing Harry speculatively. "It was by no means as destructive as what we saw you do in the recording, but it was very efficient. A simple movement of your wand and Specialist Schnee was basically immobilized." He shook his head. "It was very well done."

"Thank you General."

Harry was waved off, "No thank you. I had a mission in mind for the two of you, but was unsure of it's chance for success. It's something I've trying to find a way to do for months, but we simply lacked the resources. With your arrival, I am all but certain it can be accomplished."

"Where are you sending us?" Winter asked.

"Mr. Potter and yourself are to report to Glynda Goodwitch in Vale. You're going to be taking Beacon Academy back."


	6. Reclaiming Beacon: Part 1

**Chapter 6**

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _Another chapter for you guys finally done. I've been meaning to get this out for a while but it's taken a while to write and school has been busy. I originally wanted to put all of the Beacon "arc" in one chapter, but after getting to 8k words and realizing I still had more to go, I decided to split it into two parts. The ending of this chapter is sort of a natural stopping point anyway. I hope you all enjoy it. Thank you so much for all the support and feedback I've received. If you like this please continue to favorite, follow, and of course review. Reviews are always my favorite types of emails to receive and always put me in the mood to write, so leave me your thoughts when you can. Without further ado, please enjoy chapter six._

* * *

Harry's brow was furrowed as he looked out the window of the bullhead approaching Vale. The city looked like a mess. The area they were heading to was plainly visible, even to Harry who'd never been there, as it was cordoned off from the the rest of the city. It was the safe zone they'd established for any citizens who'd chosen not to leave what was left of the Kingdom. The reports that the General had shared with him and Winter showed that the remaining Huntsman were strained to the max in keeping the area secure. Any thoughts of trying to expand their perimeter had been quickly forgotten.

The subtle hum of the craft's engines became a more pronounced whine, indicating to Harry that they were descending. He let out a sigh and shifted his stance to get a better viewing angle. Even from here he could see the many Grimm running around the City edges. If he looked even farther, across the water and on the cliff he could see the castle like silhouette. It reminded him so much of Hogwarts at that moment that it took his breath away. The feeling passed though, and Harry was able to resume his observation. He could see several Nevermores circling that area as well, and barely through the fog the shape of the Grimm dragon, frozen in place, came into view. Dealing with regular dragons were bad enough, but demonic ones… he wasn't looking forward to it. He hoped whatever had frozen it in place initially would hold.

With a small bump and a shudder, the bullhead landed successfully on the ground. Winter strode out of the cockpit a moment later dressed in her usual uniform with her sabre attached to her hip. Harry was equally prepared with his usual gear as well. His Mokeskin pouch was attached to his belt, his Goblin forged dagger in its sheath, his new wand in the holster strapped to his wrist, and the new addition, fresh from the forge, on his hip. At the moment it didn't look much different from a police batton.

"Are you prepared?" Winter asked.

"Yep. Let's get moving." A moment later the doors opened with a hiss. Both their footsteps clinked loudly as they walked down the ramp. Harry was just noting that there was a blonde haired woman that seemed to be waiting for them when Harry took his first step onto the ground.

As soon as he did, he could feel it. Pausing for a moment, he let the overwhelming feelings of grief, despair, anger, and fear roll over him, before reinforcing his grip on his occlumency and shunting those emotions aside. The very environment seemed to be exuding an aura conducive to the Grimm. _'That's not helping anything,'_ he thought as he glanced up at the dark roiling clouds.

"Ms. Schnee!" A voice called out. "I see you made it in ok."

"We did Professor Goodwitch." Winter replied. "We were lucky not to encounter any Nevermores on our way. I was informed there was a good possibility we would."

"Yes, well, we've lost several supply ships that way. I'd only just heard that James was sending you here. I was surprised he would spare a specialist to help us guard Vale."

"That's because we're not here just to guard your safe zone," Harry interrupted, coming up beside his partner.

"And who might you be young man?"

Harry gawked slightly at her question. Even though he wasn't very old, it had been a while since someone addressed him like a child. Like Winter had said, the woman before him was Glynda Goodwitch. She was a professional Huntress and Deputy Headmistress of Beacon Academy, or at least she was when it was running. As he'd noticed before, she had shoulder length blonde hair, striking green eyes that were much lighter in colour than his own, oval shaped glasses perched on her nose, and a purple cloak/cape that ended around the area of her hips. He couldn't quite place her age, but from her expression he couldn't help but be reminded of Professor McGonagall, even if Goodwitch did look significantly younger.

"Harry Potter ma'am. It's a pleasure to meet you Professor." He extended her hand.

She shook it quickly but still was eyeing him carefully. "You don't look like Atlesian Military."

"Mr. Potter's a consultant. General Ironwood appointed him to be my partner for the time being," Winter cut in.

"A consultant partnered with a Specialist." She looked him up and down. "I don't think I'll ever understand that man." She shook her head. Harry wasn't sure whether to feel insulted or if he should be defending Ironwoods actions instead. He wisely kept his mouth shut completely. "You said something about not being here to help us secure the safe zone we've established here in Vale? Why are you here then?"

"Our mission is to retake Beacon Academy and it's grounds." Out of the corner of his eye he saw Winter giving him a pointed look. He turned part way towards her and shrugged, "What?"

Before she could reply a strangled noise from Goodwitch drew his attention back to her. She seemed to be struggling to deal with his last statement. "You plan to do what?" She rounded on Winter. "Is James going crazy? He's seen the reports I've given. Taking back Beacon is impossible right now. It's a suicide mission! Of course it's our eventual goal, but the Grimm our using it as a rallying point. I can't spare any men on this. We're overextended as it is."

"I think you misunderstood Professor Goodwitch. We don't need any of your Huntsman. It will be just the two of us going."

The older woman stared them incomprehensibly for a few moments. "If you do this, you're going to your deaths."

"We've got a few tricks up our sleeves, so I wouldn't count us out just yet."

She eyed him once again for a moment as if going over his words. "I can't tell if your just cocky or know something I don't." Harry smiled congenially. The woman snorted. "It seems James has his mind set on this then." Winter nodded from beside him. "Fine. I'll leave you to it then. Come find me if you need anything… and please… for dusts sake, try not to get yourselves killed."

"Thank you professor." Winter added.

Harry jumped in, "Actually, I did have a few questions if you're willing to oblige me?"

"Very well. What do you need to know?"

Harry pulled out the scroll he'd been given by the General, and with series of quick taps brought up a map of the city of Vale. "I was wondering if you could show me where the boundaries of the current safe zone are."

"Oh… of course." She took the handheld device and made a bunch of notations on the map for him to review.

He only glanced at it quickly when she handed it back, "Thanks."

She inclined her head, "Is that all?"

"No, I had one more thing. I wanted to ask about the weather."

Goodwitch looked startled, "The weather?"

"Yes." Harry ignored Winter's questioning gaze drilling into him from the side.

"I don't understand." Her voice turned sharp, "If you were hoping for something nicer, I'm sorry to disapoi-"

"No no no." Harry shook his head. "I'm talking about the storm. The clouds. The dark. How long has it been since Vale has seen the sun?"

For the first time, Harry saw Goodwitch look up at the sky. She looked nervous which worried him. "N-not since… that night. There's been no sun since the attack."

Harry could believe that. She as well as the few civilian survivors he could see mulling around in the distance all seemed unnaturally pale, and drawn. "Thank you for the information Professor. That's all I needed."

Goodwitch hesitated for a moment as if wanting to inquire about why he had been asking but eventually decided against it. "I'm glad I could help. As I said before, if you need anything, please come find me." This time when she said it, there was considerably less bite to her tone. At that moment Harry could definitely see her as a teacher. She'd just met him, though she knew Winter from before, and she already cared. He watched her walk away deeper into the safe zone.

The moment she was out of sight and earshot, Harry winced as he felt a fist connect with his arm. "Bloody hell! What was that for?"

"What was tha-" She repeated exasperated. "What were you doing?"

"What do you mean?"

"You dumped all that information about our mission at Beacon on her the moment we got here."

"So?"

"I thought she was going to have a heart attack!"

Harry raised his eyebrows and tried to imitate McGonagall and now Goodwitch's teacher voice. "And what exactly are you implying by that young lady? She's not that old. She may be a bit older than us young boys and girls, but she still looks to be in her prime."

Harry saw her lips twitch as she fought to contain her smile as she gave him a questioning look, "In her prime?"

"Well sure… she looks a little strict… definitely stressed with everything that's gone on, but she's still attractive." Winter's cheeks darkened with a dusting pink. "What? You're telling me you never had the whole teacher/student fantasy thing while you were in school?" Winter spluttered nonsensically. "No? Not even once? Ok."

Harry pretended to look out over the landscape in the opposite direction so he could smirk. He knew it was bad, but he couldn't help riling her up.

"Why were you asking about the weather?" She asked once she'd calmed herself down.

Harry's expression darkened and his voice got quieter, "There's an enchantment over this whole area. This weather isn't natural."

Winter looked alarmed, "You're saying someone used magic to control the weather?"

"Exactly! But that's not all. You can feel it can't you? The negative emotions? That sense of foreboding?" Looking around Winter looked just as unsettled as Goodwitch had a few minutes earlier. Harry knew exactly why. The feelings weren't natural. Everyone felt them subconsciously, but as soon as you mentioned them, the conscious mind rebelled against it. It knew it wasn't real, but yet the feelings persisted. It was unsettling to put it mildly.

"Yes." she said quietly nodding slowly, her eyes still darting around as if she expected to be attacked.

"It's not real. It's a part of the enchantment on the weather. These feelings are being forced on the whole population here. It's making the work of the Huntsman harder, and making the Grimm flourish." He looked up at the sky again. "Someone really knew what they were doing when they tired tear this Kingdom apart."

"You'll be able to do something about though right?"

"I will. It's actually lucky I'm here. Vale would have fallen for good eventually without any help."

Winter's eyes widened at his analysis, but she didn't comment on it any further. "So what do we now?"

"Now, we are going to set up some temporary protections around the safe zone that should hold until we finish our main objective, and then we are going to move onto Beacon Tower."

"Where do we go first?

"Right over here should be good." Harry walked around to the other side of their bullhead, looked around the abandoned street for a moment, before continuing to walk down the center of the road.

"Why over here?" Winter asked, hurrying to catch up, which wasn't much work for her considering her long legs. The way her uniform hugged her legs, and especially her grey-blue leather boots that stretch well above her knees, only served to make them look longer to Harry. He barely even realized that his eyes had flicked in that direction as she walked beside him. He often thought it was nice to see her out of uniform, but he had to admit her uniform was sexy. That thought was enough of a shock for him to snap back into reality and look away quickly. He pretended to cough quickly as he tried to remember what she's asked.

"Oh… over here? Well from the notes Goodwitch gave me, this is one of the edges of the safe zone. It looks like where we landed is also where they have most bullheads come in and out. This road down here is wide open, but the tall buildings on either side make it an ideal place to defend from as well. I thought I'd place the edge of the wards just a little ways up here."

"That makes sense."

Harry looked over and gave her a smile, "Don't sound so surprised. I do have good ideas every now and again." He looked away as something caught his eye. It was a still standing tree in a little garden divider down the centre of the street. "This looks perfect."

He hunched down looking through the small garden, and grinned when he spotted one of the larger rocks.

"Is that for the wards?"

"Yep. It's not permanent though, but it'll last longer than the ones I put around my tent the day I found you. I just drew those in the dirt." Keeping ahold of the rock in his left hand, he ejected his wand into the other. "This is also going to be easier now with this. Trying to draw the runes wandlessly was a bloody pain." Harry then focused on the task at hand. The tip of his wand began to glow and as he moved it and the symbols he needed began etching themselves into the rock. Compared to some of the ward schemes he'd designed in the past, this wasn't very comprehensive, but it was very specific for their needs. It should give the defenders a chance to recuperate. "There. It's done."

He placed the stone back in the garden and tapped it once with his wand. The symbols glowed brightly for a moment before fading away. He stood up, and brushed the dirt off his pants. He looked to his partner who seemed fascinated by what he'd been doing.

"Is that all?"

Harry shook his head, "I should set up at least three more around the area to make it stable."

"So where to next?"

"The best place would be directly across from here, so it'd probably be best to cut directly across town. It'll give us a chance to see how the citizens are really holding up as well."

Winter nodded in agreement, so they set off at leisurely pace. Passing by their bullhead once again, they entered the populated areas of the city. It obvious to Harry after a few minutes that this area, while not untouched by the recent events, must have had significant effort put forth into repairs. Everything seemed to be pretty much intact, though that did nothing to help with moral.

As he'd noted before, most people seemed to be incredibly stressed and hurried with their day to day business. Despite all this, it didn't take long for the two of them to start attracting attention. First it was just the odd person eyeing them warily, obviously realizing they were strangers. Soon enough others seemed to recognize that Winter was wearing an Atlesian Military uniform. That's when the whispers started and the streets started emptying.

The shopkeepers were peering out their windows at them with a mixture of emotions including shock, disgust, anger, and most prominently fear. It seemed many of the civilians still didn't trust Atlas. He knew the Huntsmen had at least been informed of what really went on during the fall of Beacon, but it must not have spread beyond that.

"Well that was uncomfortable," Harry muttered as they finally reached the other border.

Winter shrugged, "I'm not unfamiliar with this sort of situation. My family has made many enemies over the years. This reaction can be quite common."

Harry glanced at his partner shocked. He wasn't surprised at what she said, he thought it was pretty self evident, but he was more surprised that she'd actually shared the information without prompting. He noted the somewhat awkward expression on her face, and realized immediately that she seemed to be purposely trying to open up to him. It wasn't much, but the thought behind it was touching.

"Me too. Like I told you before, back home, I was pretty much considered a celebrity." Harry tried to reciprocate the gesture, but suddenly feeling a little uncomfortable he looked away as he continued to speak. "People were always staring at me and whispering. I've always had to struggle with dealing with the media. I hated it. I didn't want to be famous, and I definitely didn't want the details of my private life printed in every newspaper and magazine in Britain… err my home country." Harry paused. "Despite all that, I did learn to deal with it. The thing I still have trouble with is how quickly public opinion could flip on me. One day I was their hero, some people even treating me with the kind of reverence they'd reserve for a god. The next day I would be hated or scorned. The paper would print how I was going crazy, I was a liar, a cheat, or on my way to becoming the next Dark Lord. Before I knew it I would be the hero again, and all the people who spoke ill of me before seemed to almost forget what they'd done. I'm always being judged on the smallest of actions. The only way I could see to survive was to appear perfect in public, something I knew wasn't going to happen, so I left to begin traveling the world, and now I'm here… in a completely different one."

Turning back to Winter he met her sympathetic gaze. It was different than the looks he'd received from the few he'd tried to explain this too. He could tell she could actually understand what he meant. Ron had basked in the glory that being a war hero entailed. Hermione had been the most understanding, but even she enjoyed the perks that came with fame. It had helped her in getting the job at the Ministry she wanted as well as a platform to voice her ideas for reform to the public. The one that had hurt the worst had been Ginny. Out of all of them, she was the one he'd hoped would be able to actually understand him, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. He wouldn't exactly call her attention seeking, but she definitely enjoyed being in the spotlight. He was pretty sure it was one of the reasons she'd gone into professional Quidditch. She'd tended to go deal with reporters directly, while Harry, still much better than he'd been in his youth, had still tended to avoid them at all costs. He also avoided most public functions that she seemed to want to attend. It was one of the many reason that had led to their eventual split.

Banishing his own momentary reverie, Harry refocused on Winter's blue eyes. Her earlier expression had faded into a more uncertain one. He saw she'd stretched her hand out part way as if to comfort him but had stopped herself from completing the act, unsure if she should. Without much more thought on his part, he closed the distance by taking her hand in his and making her jump in surprise. He gave it a quick squeeze and tried for a reassuring smile. He held it there for a moment before letting it drop as he turned back to the way they'd been walking before.

"I don't think we're that far away. Let's keep moving." They continued to walk for a few more minutes as the amount of people they saw began to thin out once again, and the buildings started to show more and more signs of damage. Like last time, he stopped when he thought he was far enough away, and began searching for an acceptable stone.

It didn't take Harry long before he found one. It was only another few minutes after that before he'd finished carving the rune scheme into it's surface. After activating it as well, the duo hurried off to finish the last two. They made some small talk along the way, but they remained silent for the most part, continuing to observe the community around them.

"This is the last one?" Winter inquired as Harry finished carving into the fourth stone.

"It is." Harry looked it over once more before putting it in place. He pointed out into the distance away from the city. "Do you see some of the groups of Grimm out over there?"

Winter nodded, "Of course. These are the types of large congregations that were reported to us back in Atlas. Usually when one is reported, Huntsmen are dispatched to break them up, as organized groups, such as this, pose the biggest threats to settlements. With the fall of Beacon, that hasn't been possible, and more and more groups are forming up. It's what has made any kind of mission on Beacon grounds impossible till now."

"How about that specific group right there?"

Winter eyes narrowed, "They are getting rather close. Maybe we should alert Glynda. Some of the other huntsman have probably already done so, but it's safer to double check. Those on guard duty will have to get ready to repel a medium sized group."

"Just keep your eye on them for a moment." Harry crouched back down over his final wardstone. Like the three before it, he slowly channeled enough magic into the stone so that it was positively humming. If anyone else were to touch it they wouldn't feel a thing, but with his highly honed senses, Harry could feel the energy it contained. With the last one done, he stretched his senses out farther, easily picking up on the other three anchors he'd created. All it took was a brief moment of concentration to make them all link up together. He felt the magic wash over the whole area, and Harry opened eyes quick enough to just catch the dome-like shimmer in the air before it faded away.

"Harry!" His eyes snapped to meet Winter's surprised blue ones. It lasted for a second before her gaze darted back out into the distance again. "The whole group… it just turned away!"

Harry stood and looked for himself. He let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding now that he saw it had all worked. The large group of Grimm that had been meandering closer and closer to the safe zone had now changed directions and was heading away from them. Other groups of Grimm within sight seemed to be subconsciously moving away from the human settlement as well.

"It seems it worked."

"Th-this is your magic?" She continued to watch everything with no small amount of awe. "I think this is even more impressive than summoning down that bolt of lightning."

Harry grinned. "It's a lot more subtle, but sometimes subtlety is best. It's definitely easier than trying to fight them all off."

"This would be extremely useful for defending the Kingdoms." She looked far away as she imagined all the possibilities.

Harry just shook his head, "This is basically what I'm going to do to all of Vale, just with the soon to be reconstructed Beacon tower at the centre as a focus."

"When should we plan to leave?"

Harry grinned, "There's no time like the present."

* * *

"Are you actually going to help me or just stand there?" Winter asked as she bisected yet another approaching Beowulf.

"I flew us up the cliff now didn't I?" Harry commented idly as he looked around. He'd just stowed his broom away after using it to transport the two of them to the edge of Beacon's campus. From what he could see, the grounds were a mess. Craters littered the concrete paths, the gardens were dead or overrun, walls crumbled, and most noticeably, the large tower that everything was centred around was missing it's top. Said tower had also been crowned by a large frozen Grimm Dragon for over six months.

Harry could hear Winter muttering under her breath about the broom ride. It wasn't something she seemed overly fond of. "Yes, and now you're just standing there. If you want to get this done anytime soon, you're help would be appreciated.

Harry rolled his eyes and let out an overly exaggerated sigh. "Fine. If you can't handle it yourself..." He trailed off as he pulled out his wand. Concentrating on what he wanted Harry tapped into energy around him, and was actually somewhat surprised at what he found. There was a residual magical energy to Beacon that seemed to hang in the very air. It was separate from the weather spell, and infinitely more powerful. Harry had never felt anything quite like it. Despite his curiosity, he pushed the feeling away and willed magic to follow his commands.

With a loud rushing sound, a fiery inferno sprang into life around them. Much like he'd seen Dumbledore do all those years ago in that seaside cave, Harry kept his wand raised high above his head, slowly moving it in a circle as he kept the momentum of the spell going. As soon as the magical flame sprang into existence, Winter jumped back in surprise, nearly running into them and ending their mission right there, but luckily Harry was able to steady her with his off hand.

The masses of Grimm that had started to press in all around them as they landed, screeched in agony as they were razed to the ground. Taking Winter's hand without a thought, Harry slowly started to move forward towards their destination. Keeping control of the fire at the same time was a challenge but he kept it moving along with them. It seemed most of the Grimm that had first swarmed them were newly formed, seeing as how they had no compunctions on throwing themselves at the two humans mindlessly, even if that included suicide by fire. It wasn't these Grimm that worried Harry. Sure there were a lot of them, but they were taking themselves out at this point, no, it was the Grimm that prowled at the edge of his vision that worried him. They were older… wiser. They stayed out of the way, watching him fight, learning from from him.

Despite all this, they continued moving on, though they were tested several times. About halfway down what remained of the once grandiose path up to Beacon, an old, if it's scars were anything to judge it by, Boarbatusk broke through Harry's flames. Figuring that it's heavy bone plating acted as a passable heat shield, the Grimm used its signature attack to roll right through. Harry didn't even see it until it was too late. Luckily for him, Winter had been watching their back, and staved it off before it could gouge hm with its large tusks. With an efficiency that Harry still found awe inspiring, Winter stopped it's roll by jamming her sabre into a kink in it's armour and using it like lever. After that, it was easy for her to flip the demon over, and slash apart it's unprotected stomach.

Flicking her sword away from her to get rid of the black ichor of the Grimm, she looked towards him, "Guess we're even now." Harry watched the Grimm blood splash across the ground with interest, especially as it evaporated away like smoke a moment later.

"Even, huh?" Harry began pushing forward again.

"Yes, even. You saved my life, and now I've done the same for you."

"Ya, but I had to lug your arse through a merlin-be-damned forest for several hours as well." Harry grinned. "I think you still owe me."

Winter scowled, her tone dangerous, "And what are implying by that? Are you saying I was heavy and hard to carry?"

Harry's step faltered at that, as did the flames around him, allowing a small Beowulf through. Winter's slash had it turning to vapor in an instant with barely any effort on her part. The look she shot him afterwards didn't sooth his nerves at all.

"No, of course not." Harry backpedaled and tried for a charming grin, "You have an amazing figure. Just forget I said anything. You're right, we're even."

Winter smirked, "That's what I thought."

Having now passed into the more central area of the campus, Harry and Winter began to pass a variety of buildings. Looking at it from a distance across the lake, Harry had been reminded of Hogwarts, but up close he could tell that the school was a much more modern construction than the ancient magical castle where he had spent six years of his life.

Finally reaching the base of the tower, Harry opened a gap in his fiery barrier right in front of the entrance. Needing no further explanation, Winter strode forward, Harry quickly following. Turning back towards the way he had come from, he flicked his wand, condensing the rest of his spell down to a pulsating ball just larger than his fist. For the split second that he held it there, Harry could see the hungry red eyes of the Grimm who'd followed them yet had been smart enough to keep just out of his reach before. Then, jabbing his wand forward violently, Harry loosed the pent up energy contained in the writhing ball of fire, back out away from the tower. Many of the remaining Grimm were incinerated on contact, while the rest were at the very least thrown away by the force of the explosion.

Without a seconds hesitation, Harry began casting repairing charms on the entrance as he moved his arm in wide sweeping arcs through the air. He saw Winter watching as pieces of rubble wiggled across the ground, floated through the air and began to piece itself back together. Harry couldn't blame her as even he was still impressed with magic as he saw glass that had obviously been ground down to sand floated up into a cloud and seemed to meld itself back together. Despite that, he needed her focused.

"Keep an eye out. I'm assuming these doors were blown in during the original attack. Who knows what Grimm have crawled their way in here since." Trusting that she'd agree with his suggestion, Harry refocused on his task. A few moments later, the entrance was, for the most part, looking as good as new. Stepping up so that he was close enough to touch them, Harry traced some locking and strengthening runes along the door frames ensuring they'd hold under almost anything except maybe being rammed by a goliath.

"If there is anything inside the tower, it doesn't seem to plan on coming out." Winter spoke as soon as he backed away from the door.

Harry glanced around the spartan entrance hall, taking in the cracked floors and walls. "We should still be careful, you never know what could be lurking around in the shadows." Taking one more look around, Harry once again cast the repairing charm, and watched as the damage he notice earlier seemed to almost disappear. As he crossed the floor, he felt as if he were using Hermione's time turner all over again, as the room seemed to be almost going back in time.

By the time he had reached Winter's side, it was all done. Harry couldn't help but be pleased with himself at what he'd just done. The only person he'd ever seen repair so much with a single spell had been Dumbledore. Harry knew he couldn't have done that back then, and thus his self-improvement felt quite obvious.

"Don't be too please with yourself Potter." He looked to Winter. "I saw your smirk. If you're head gets any bigger, you might have to use your magic to start making the doorways bigger."

Harry scowled, "I thought you liked my magic?"

"I do, but it starts to become quite mundane when you show off too much," she shot back. Unable to formulate a good response, Harry chose to go with the most mature path he could think of… sticking his tongue out. He might actually have felt quite embarrassed with his own actions if her wrinkled nose and small huff of exasperation hadn't been so amusing.

Approaching an empty elevator shaft, Harry leaned slightly over the edge looking up and down. "This building goes farther down than I thought it would," he commented as he saw the shaft disappear into darkness instead of seeing the end like he'd expected. "But that doesn't matter seeing as all we care about is what's up top." He pulled his trusty broomstick out again, and held it up for Winter to see.

"Oh, no. I am not getting on that thing again unless I really have too!"

"I guess you could go find a staircase… and walk all the way up to the top."

Winter looked visibly conflicted for a moment before sighing, "Fine. Just get us up there quickly."

Harry bowed teasingly, "Of course your majesty." Winter scowled as he mounted the broom and gave her room to climb on. He probably could have devised another manner of getting up there, but his broom was the fastest, and he couldn't deny that he enjoyed how close Winter had to press up behind him when they used it. Let's just say that every single time it served to remind Harry that she had a very feminine figure.

Once they were both settled, Harry kicked off from the ground, and they flew into the dark shaft. Hovering for a minute as he eyed the small circle of light in the distance, he began to ascend vertically at a moderate pace. If it had been just himself, he probably would have gone even faster, but despite liking to tease her, he didn't want Winter to feel anymore uncomfortable than she already did.

When he looked back on it later, Harry would be very glad that he had been going the speed he was. Any faster and when the Grimm had hit them from the shadows, they very well may have become no more than a smear on the wall. As it was, he hadn't even seen the numerous glowing red eyes until it was too late. He hit the wall hard enough to take his breath away, though he didn't start to panic till he heard the scream behind him as Winter lost her grip and began to plummet to the ground.

Without a second though Harry took the hands he'd been using to stabilize himself off his broom. As he ejected his wand from its holster, he wandlessly banished her up against the wall while simultaneously casting a sticking charm with his wand.

He got a split second to confirm that he had been successful before the Grimm hit him for a second time with all the force of a truck. Harry grunted at the impact not having had a chance to catch his breath. Head reeling, it actually took him a second to realize that he no longer had his broom and that he was falling at an exponentially increasing speed.

The silhouette of a horizontal support strut caught his eye. Without thinking it through, Harry reached to grab hold and stop his fall. It was only because he'd been under Voldemort's cruciatus in his life, that allowed him to say this wasn't the most pain he'd ever been in. His arms had impacted the hard metal with all the force of his fall, and he instantly realized how lucky he was that the sudden whiplash hadn't dislocated one of his arms.

"Harry!" Winter's voice called out panicked from the darkness. He'd never heard her lose her cool like that, even when she was angry. Grunting with effort, Harry managed to shift most of his weight onto one hand. It screamed in protest, especially since the metal was already cutting into his palm. He could feel the blood pooling and trickling down his arm.

His other hand suddenly free from its task, struggled weakly for his wand. He was very glad that he'd come up with the idea of strapping it to his wrist with a cord so he couldn't be disarmed. After a moment he finally managed to get his hand on the new piece of wood that contained Fawkes's original phoenix feather. Not being able to see properly, Harry just pointed his wand in a vaguely upwards direction. "Lumos Maxima!"

A blindingly bright light erupted from Harry's wand. With another flick it detached from the tip and floated upwards. As his eyes adjusted, Harry blanched at what he saw next. Like he hoped, he could see where his sticking charm had caught Winter, but it seems in this case, it may have actually made it worse. Her whole upper torso, including her arms, were what was stuck, leaving her defenseless against the arachnid Grimm that was moving in.

With a purpose in mind, Harry tried summoning his broom back to him. For a second he thought it hadn't worked but it soon came whooshing out of the darkness. Unclenching his injured hand was a chore, but he managed to force the battered appendage to obey him, causing Harry to drop a few feet through the air before he landed on his broom. His balance swayed precariously for a moment before he managed to grip polished wood before him. As he took a second to get comfortable, Harry didn't notice the blood he was smearing on his prized broomstick.

All the while through this, Harry managed to keep his eye on his partner. Winter, in a great show of strength and skill, managed to drive her legs into the Grimm's face causing it to scuttle backwards. As he began to fly upwards, he couldn't help but think about how much strength that maneuver would have taken. She must have some very impressive stomach and leg muscles, but Harry quickly brushed those thoughts away.

Seeing the giant spider start to move in again, Harry reacted on instinct and tried to banish it away. The first spell seemed to give it a minor shove as most of the energy dissipated off the beasts skin, but the second overpowered bannisher was enough to send it careening into the ceiling, which Harry later realized was actually the bottom of the elevator car.

Despite his hopes, his attack did little more than irritate and slow down the Grimm. He had figured out the easiest way to deal with most Grimm was fire, but there was no way he was summoning up another firestorm in an enclosed space like this. He even pushed his new weapon of his mind as it was more suited to range and open spaces as well.

Pulling up on his broom, Harry prepared to go back on the offensive against this thing. He wasn't scared of spiders, but he was starting to get why Ron didn't like them. First the acromantulas in this second year and now Demon Spiders in an elevator shaft. What's next?

A shout stopped him mid motion, "Harry!" He looked back over to the struggling Winter. "Get me out of this thing. I would have caught myself from that fall. Now I'm just stuck."

Keeping one eye on the recovering Grimm, Harry looked at Winter intently. "Are you sure?"

"Yes.

"Ok." Pointing his wand at her he incanted the dispelling charm, "Finite."

As soon as he finished, Harry saw her become free from the wall. With bated breath he saw her start to fall, and had to force himself not to help. To is relief she made a symbol with her hand and one of those white glyph things appears below her feet like a sort of platform.

The return of the loud scuttling and clicking noise was enough warning for Harry to know what was coming. Swerving to the side, he missed the Grimm's attack by several feet. Unfortunately the Grimm kept going with it's motion and went after Winter instead. Now, with her hands free, she was able to deliver a slash to the creature's face. Despite the perfect placement it only looked to be a shallow cut.

Going to intervene, Harry went into a shallow dive and summoned up another spell from his repertoire. Another one he'd seen Dumbledore use in his duels over the years. A thin stream of flame left his wand. It was no where near what he'd summoned up earlier, but it was still powerful and wouldn't be dangerous in their current location unlike the former. The burning ribbon twisted and turned in the air before settling. At that point it would be obvious what it was to most. Harry cracked the fire whip once in the air and created small flash of fiery light.

Nodding to himself, he turned and brought the spell down on the Grimm. The first few strikes left gouges in it's bone armour, but not much else. Frustrated, Harry arimed for one of the limbs this time. This proved to be an effective tactic seeing as how the force of the strike caused the flaming weapon to wrap around said limb. Pulling the tendril of flaming magic taut, the creature screeched in agony as it was burned. As the Grimm tried to pull away, it severed its own limb, letting out another loud screech that made Harry want to cover his ears. Retreating up the wall, it still watched them with hatred burning in its red eyes.

"We need to finish it off." Glancing over Harry saw Winter as she spoke. She'd climbed back up to the same altitude as him, and somehow found hand and footholds on the edge of the wall. He knew he wouldn't be able to use them as comfortably as she seemed to be, and especially not in heels like her.

"I agree. You probably have the best chance of finishing it off. I'll make you an opening." Then with no further discussion Harry raced upward. As Harry slashed his whip through the air again and again, but he wasn't met with much success. The Grimm seemed to have learned to avoid being stuck in the same situation as before, as it was using its remaining limbs to block the strikes. Sure, Harry was still doing damage and opening big gashes along the creature, but he wasn't able to wrap his flaming construct around it again like wanted.

Seeing it was pointless, Harry dispelled the whip, he'd seen something else that gave him an idea. Casting a cutting curse, Harry severed a section of the large chain connected to the elevator that was sitting unmoving. Just as it started to fall, he twirled his wand and kept it floating. A series of complicated wand movements later, and a bunch of muttered incantations had the chain coiling through the air like an overgrown snake. Keeping with that image it momentarily seemed to reer back as if ready to strike.

In a flash the chains shot forward and began threading themselves through the Grimm's seven remaining legs, and around it's body. A jerk of his wand, had the chains pulled tight, separating the legs and opening up it's underbelly away from the wall. Winter, never one to miss out of an opportunity, timed her attack perfectly. Harry figured she must have somehow used her glyphs to enhance her jump because the speed with which she passed him wouldn't have been humanly possible otherwise.

She impacted the softer underside of the Grimm with tremendous force. The momentum was so great that even as her sabre sunk up to its hilt in the beast, the two still kept on moving upwards crashing into the bottom of the elevator car. As the finally deceased Grimm started to evaporate to black smoke around her, Winter yanked her blade free and began to fall back down the chute. Steering his broom with his knees, Harry drifted over and caught her before she could fall far.

As she looked up from his arms into their suddenly close faces, Harry couldn't help but grin. Winter really was beautiful. Especially right now after having just finished a battle, where her usual masks were down. Her light blue eyes seemed to almost shine with energy. Unable to help himself, Harry opened his mouth to make a smart remark about their situation when he was cut off.

"If you were just about to make some cheesy one-liner about having caught me, I swear to god I will castrate you." Smirk wiped off his face, he shifted nervously on his broom, trying to subtly shield his crotch as he gulped. "Now hold still while I climb around behind you."

"Yes, ma'am." Harry hurried out. Holding perfectly still like she asked, and letting her get behind him.

"Good boy." She gave him a little pat on the head. If Harry were to be honest, he'd say how deeply embarrassing it was to have his behaviour judged in comparison to well trained dog, but Harry knew she was just teasing him right back and… well... he truly didn't want to upset her. He'd faced down Mountain Trolls, Basilisks, Dementors, Giants, Dark Lords, and now numerous species of demon, but there was just something about a pissed off woman that had him want to go running for the hills.

Unfortunately their little moment was cut short by the sounds of screeching metal. Glancing upwards, Harry immediately saw what was the problem. The elevator car, that he had noticed was damaged from before, most likely during the fall of Beacon, had been wedged up at the top floor. Obviously their recent battle had loosened it, and the weight had finally overcome the wheel breaks keeping it in place.

The car slowly started to move downwards, picking up speed towards the wide eyed pair sitting on a broom. Snapping out of his stupor, Harry snapped off an _"Immobulus!"_ It had no effect. Cursing himself, Harry remembered too late that the freezing charm only worked on living targets. Seeing no other option, Harry took the only action he had left. He just hoped if they survived this that Winter wouldn't kill him.

Pushing down on his broom as hard as he could, Harry brought them into a nosedive. He ignored the shriek of surprise he heard in his ear. He ignored the arms that had before been gently wrapped around him and now felt like two steel bars constricting around his chest. He focused on the screeching sound of their death tearing downwards towards them at an increasing speed. Knowing he needed to put some distance between them, Harry flattened himself along the broom as much as he could, pulling Winter forward as well, to pick more speed.

Nearing the bottom of the shaft, Harry used skills ingrained in him by Oliver Wood all those years ago to pull of a perfect Wronski Feint. It was much harder with a second person on board, but Harry wasn't the youngest Hogwarts seeker in a century for no reason. Pulling up in time, he managed to spin their broom around and accelerate back up the way they had been coming.

If at all possible, Winter's grip seemed to become even tighter as they flew directly at the giant metal box coming to crush them. Taking one hand off his broom, Harry wasted no time leveling his wand at the hole already existent in the bottom of the elevator car. Firing blasting curse after blasting curse, Harry widened that hole considerably as well as the one in the roof of the car as well.

Tucking himself against the broom once again and pulling Winter with him, the duo flew directly through the centre of the hole for the split second it actually took for speeding elevator car to pass them. As they made it through to the other side, Harry could barely comprehend what he'd just pulled off. It didn't hit him until a few seconds later when the large crash of the elevator hitting the bottom of the shaft resounded around them.

Continuing upwards, Harry flew out through the top of the shaft and landed on the top of the tower in the open air. They both stood there without moving for a second before Winter scrambled back away from the broom as fast as she could, tripping over her own feet in an unusual display of incoordination.

"What the hell was that?"

"I got us out alive didn't I? It was our only choice, so I went for it."

"Yes… well… I… I-" she spluttered. "I'm not going back on that thing ever again!" She stomped her foot, arms crossed. If he wasn't still trying to come down from the adrenaline rush from their near death experience, he probably would have thought her pose to be quite cute. As it was, he was feeling quite guilty. The maneuver he'd pulled off had been very risky. If he had been even an inch off they could have died or at the very least lost a limb, and he was just now realizing he probably could have apparated him and Winter out of there instead. He hadn't thought of it in the moment but it would have been a lot safer. He didn't plan on letting Winter know that, he didn't think her knowing would be beneficial to his health.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Harry finally noticed that Winter seemed to be staring at something above his head, her eyes wide in shock. Spinning on his heel, Harry froze, eyes widening as well. "That's a bloody big dragon!"


	7. Reclaiming Beacon: Part 2

**Chapter 7**

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 _ **A/N:**_ _Got another chapter done for you guys. It's out faster than usual because I've been on reading week this week, so of course, instead of studying for my next mid-term I've been writing this! Anyway, thank you so much for the amazing response to my last chapter. We've now exceeded 1k followers on this story, and almost 750 favorites. I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint, it somehow ended up being about 7k words! Please let me know in the reviews what you all think. I love to hear your feedback. Thanks again for all the support!_

* * *

The inky black skin of the Grimm stretched out before him in what appeared to be an ever expansive void. Harry could just see the large bone-like protrusions visible by the edge of the tower, looking to all the world like shining towers of ivory. It took him a moment to realize that they formed the shape of a ginormous ribcage. What really drew Harry's attention however, was the beast's head. The whole thing wasn't just covered in a bone mask like many of the other Grimm he'd encountered, it was completely made of bone. In other words it was an enormous skull. Its large red bulbous eyes remained glowing with a hellish primordial hatred, even after six months of being frozen as it was.

As for the fact that it was frozen, Harry was now even more intrigued than before. He'd always known some kind of magic was at work to freeze the Grimm, but he'd been imagining it to be petrified or literally frozen in some kind of enchanted ice. That clearly wasn't the case here. Harry wasn't sure what magic was at work, but to his eyes it looked like Grimm was covered in a layer of silver sparkling dust. He'd never seen anything quite like it.

"I-I know we were briefed on this Grimm, but I…" Winter paused. "I still didn't expect it to be so big."

"I know…" Harry really was at a loss. The threat that a few minor demons, like Beowolves, had posed had been high enough for demon summoning to be outlawed on Earth centuries ago. He didn't even want to think about more major demons like this. They truly must have been alive on Remnant for centuries to have grown so big. If it was the same sorcerer, Salem, who had been summoning them all this time, she may be even more dangerous than he expected. Harry pushed those thoughts out of his head. He had a job to finish first. "Ironwood said a girl did this to it? Something about magic silver eyes?"

Winter nodded nervously, "I don't know anymore about it then you do. I thought it was just some fairy tail. Silver Eyed Warrior pushing back the forces of darkness." She shook her head. "When I heard about what happened, I never had expected something like this. To think that my sister's partner was abl-"

"You're sister's partner?" Harry interrupted. "That's the girl that did… well this?" He motioned up at the dragon.

"Yes… her name is Ruby Rose. Leader of my sister's team RWBY."

Harry looked at her incredulously. "Team RWBY… led by a girl named Ruby?"

Winter looked almost sheepish, "Yes, well, Ozpin was always known for being a tad eccentric." Her expression sobered once again as she craned her neck to look back up at their next challenge. "Do you actually think you can kill this thing once and for all?"

Harry sighed, "Let's see."

He began striding up to the dragon. Soon enough Harry started to feel the effects of being near it. The aura the beast was giving off was surprisingly comparable to a dementor. Doubts were already starting to flick their way through his mind. _'What if he made a mistake by coming here? What if his attempts to help Beacon only made things worse for Vale in the long run? Could he really trust the General? Could he trust Winter?'_

That last thought was enough to to make him realize what was happening. He wasn't really sure how he felt about Winter. They were stuck together as partners for the time being, not that he had any issue with it. He just found her to be an enigma. She'd opened up a lot more during their talks earlier, but he still didn't completely understand her. She was interesting. Despite all that, after their short time getting know each other, he was certain she wouldn't betray him.

With that realization, Harry could tell that the thoughts currently plaguing him were not his own. He started fighting back. It was a struggle to keep his occlumency in place, and suppress those emotions but he managed it and it did help a little. Occlumency was a powerful technique of the mind arts, but even it couldn't hold back a dementor's aura, or in this case, that of the Grimm dragon, indefinitely. Stopping in front of what appeared to be, at least from Harry's perspective, a wall of black, he drew his goblin forged dagger. He looked down on the shining metal blade for a moment before he raised it above his head and, without any hesitation, brought it back down again with all his strength.

Harry had to grit his teeth against the jarring force that ran up his arm as his blade skidded off the Grimm's skin creating a shower of sparks. It was the first time he'd ever seen Goblin steel fail. Rolling his shoulder to relieve its sudden ache, Harry looked down at his weapon again in contemplation. After a few moments he resheathed it without comment.

"What happened?" Harry jerked back a step as Winter startled him. He wasn't used to people being able to sneak up on him, but with his focus on suppressing the Grimm's power, and his small test, he hadn't heard her approach. A glance at her face told him that she was just as unhappy as he was to be so near it.

"I was just doing a test, and unfortunately proved myself correct." Harry scratched the back of his head. "I thought if the Grimm were really frozen we might just be able to come up here and hack away at it until it died, but just like I expected, that would be too easy. Whatever this… Ruby, did to it, it's pretty hard to damage. I definitely want to meet her at some point now."

"You'll still be able to kill it won't you?"

"Of course." He gave her a crooked smile. "That's what plan B is for."

"I didn't even know we had a plan A."

"I just told you plan A!" Harry cried in exasperation.

Winter sighed. "Sorry, let me clarify. I didn't even know we had a plan A until thirty seconds ago." She leveled him with a look.

"You never asked." He muttered, his rebuttal coming out sounding much more petulant than Harry would have liked.

"So what exactly is your amazing plan B?" One of her hands was massaging her temple.

Harry crouched down to the ground and already had his wand out before he started answering. "Unfortunately, if we want to get at this thing, we're going to have to strip away the magic that's holding it in place because, as I mentioned before, it's also protecting it."

"What!" Winter's voice shot up several octaves higher than usual in her surprise causing Harry to wince. "It's just going to start rampaging again!"

"Not exactly." He began carving symbols into the ground. "The spell I'll be using will drain away the magical energy left by the girl. It's also going to chain the beast to the top of this tower while it continues to eat away at the magic, this time the magic that is holding it in this dimension. If all goes perfectly, it will dissolve right before our very eyes without us having to move a muscle."

Harry looked back at Winter to see her reaction. "Honestly, even after everything I've seen you do, this all still seems too fantastical. I really don't know what to say. I guess I'll just leave you to it. This is your area of expertise after all."

Harry locked gazes with Winter, and after holding it for a second gave her a nod of appreciation. She may not have come right out and said it, but Harry had got the message loud and clear. She was trusting him on this. That meant a lot coming from her, and he'd made sure she knew how much he appreciated it. It's what the look had been for. He still thought it amazing something so simple could communicate so little. No magic necessary.

Turning back to his work, Harry finished his runes a few minutes later. Giving it an admiring glance, Harry leaned back. Unlike everything else he'd used on Remnant, this design looked like a small circular seal. It wasn't even something he'd designed himself, but something he'd come across in an old book. It would be perfect for this situation, but he couldn't imagine how horrible it would be to use against another person as originally intended.

"I think it would be best if you took a step back and got your weapon out... just in case." Again showing her seemingly newfound trust, Winter complied without question. Harry wasn't sure how he had earned it, seeing as how he'd pretty much forced her on a broom and then proceeded to try and outfly a falling elevator not too long before.

Taking a few steps back himself, but not nearly as many as his partner, Harry took a deep breath. He then raised his wand as well as the open palm of his off hand towards the seal he'd drawn on the floor. The chant that poured from his lips a moment later would make no sense to anyone else on Remnant except for the wizard who was currently using it.

It was rhythmic and harsh sounding against his own ears, but even harder against his throat. Speaking words of power like he was didn't come easy. Each syllable resonated with energy that created a backlash against the caster's body. He could already feel the strain. Luckily for him, he wouldn't have to continue for much longer. The runes inscribed on the ground had begun to glow with a golden light, and now seemed to almost peel themselves off the ground. Hovering in the air, the whole design slowly began to rotate as the light got brighter.

As his chant began to wind down, ethereal golden chains began to slither out of the glyph like a pair of giant snakes. Twisting through the air to an impressive height, they hung in the air unmoving. As Harry finally uttered the last syllable, the chains suddenly lurched forward at blinding speeds, coiling around the beast's neck and pulling themselves taught.

If possible, the runes and chains themselves seemed to glow even brighter as the silver coating on the Grimm began to ripple like water. Just as suddenly, the foreign magic then started to flow across the Grimm's skin and get absorbed into the chains. This is the part that made Harry nervous. Despite trusting in his own plan, he still didn't like the fact that he had to essentially release the Grimm first.

He could hear Winter shifting around behind him as the Grimm's body slowly came back to life. It started as a few of it's leg muscles twitching, but soon escalated as it's wings were freed. The wind it could create by just flapping it's wings once was much more powerful than he'd expected. He actually felt his shoes slide backwards a few feet across the ruined floor during one such gust.

Any chance they had of getting through this without panicking the masses in the safe zone of Vale fled when the last of the silver magic vanished from sight. Hunkered down on the ground beside his partner, Harry kept his hands pressed firmly over his ears as the Grimm Dragon let out its terrifying cry. There was no chance that the people of Vale missed that. He was interested to note the additional pressure against his occlumency during that moment. Somehow the Grimm was using some kind of mental magic during its roar.

Harry was pleased to see the cloud of black smoke slowly starting to rise above his chains. His spell was already tearing it apart! Unfortunately, that's where the good news ended. Finally free after all that time, the dragon looked pissed. The fact that it's neck was being tethered to the ground only seemed to enrage it further. Harry was forced to tackle Winter to the side, lest they be crushed by one of it's feet. He hadn't thought about that when he'd gone forward with his plan.

"I thought you said you would have it under control?" Winter panted as she tried to disentangle herself from Harry.

"It is under control! You don't see it flying around wreaking havoc do you?" As soon as the words left his mouth, the dragon started straining against the enchantment holding it in place, causing the whole tower to shake and the two of them to stumble once again.

"Well it certainly isn't dying as fast as you made it sound."

Regaining his feet, Harry turned his back to Winter and looked up at his opponent, palming his wand. "Let's see if I can't speed things up then."

Casting the same spell he had earlier, spurts of flame shot from Harry's wand, coiling into a long fiery whip. Twirling it through the air again a few times to get a feel for it, he lashed out at the Grimm. The burning tendrils of his magic impacted the Grimm's skin with a loud crack, leaving a sickening sizzling sound behind. Finally, thinking he was making some progress, Harry continued lashing out over and over again.

"It's not working!" It was Winter's shout that finally clued him in to the fact that something strange was going on. Stopping for a moment, he was able to notice the thick tar-like sludge that seemed to coat this beasts skin. He watched as it slowly ran over one of the deeper wounds he'd inflicted. Where before there had been a deep gash and the black skin around it had begun to bubble, it now looked completely untouched.

"Of course it can heal itself!" Harry cried before facepalming. A moment later some of that same thick sludge formed into a drop and fell unto the floor. It layed there for a moment, looking to all the world like a normal puddle, before the liquid began to writhe on the ground and shifted into the form of a beowolf. "And it can spawn more Grimm! Just great!"

Deciding to forgo the Dragon for a moment, Harry turned his attention to the new threat. Lashing out with his whip again, Harry caught the beowulf in the leg. It recoiled letting out a loud howl of pain, before charging forward. Using the fact that it was injured to his advantage, he managed to catch the beast again, this time wrapping the whip around its torso. Wrenching his wrist to the side, he managed to fling the Grimm over the edge of the tower.

Turning back to refocus on the dragon, Harry was met with more beowolves and even an ursa that just finished forming. He lashed out again, but these ones seemed to have learned from their kins mistake and were able to dodge out of the way of his strikes. The only one he was able to hit was the ursa, and it mostly seemed to just shrug off it off as it charged him.

"Bullocks." Harry swore. With a practiced he stowed his wand, before reaching down with his left hand and grabbing the baton-like object strapped his hip. As soon as he wrapped his hand around the metal, the series of symbols inlaid in pure gold, from some Galleons he'd had the weaponsmith meltdown, began to glow. Flicking a hidden switch with his thumb, the whole device vibrated as it telescopically began to lengthen into a staff.

Stepping to the side at the last minute, the ursa sailed right by Harry. Turning on his heel, he lashed out with his new weapon connected solidly with the Grimm's back. The hulking bear-like demon tumbled away to the side as it tried to lumber back to it's feet. Leveling the end of his staff at it, he let loose a blasting curse, the symbols on his staff flashed along with his magic. On impact, it did nothing to the ursa's spell-resistant hide, but it did hit with enough force to drive it back a few more steps, directly off the edge of the tower. He didn't expect it to survive the fall. He was finding most of these things easier to just drive over the edge than actually killing them himself.

Checking on his partner, he found Winter to be easily handling the beowolves, though a few were heading towards him, and even more were spawning. Before he had a chance to make a plan of attack, the Grimm dragon let loose another rage filled roar, that shook the whole tower, before launching itself against the bindings holding it in place.

Harry felt like his heart nearly stopped when he saw the cracks forming across the floor around him. _The bloody dragon was going to rip another layer of the tower right off!_ Slamming the butt of his staff down upon the ground, and feeling remarkably like Gandalf as he did so _\- Hey! If he'd managed to catch up on the Indiana Jones movies, he'd caught Lord of the Rings as well! -_ , a wave of magic swept over the tower pulling the damaged floor back together, sealing the cracks shut.

Of course, that wasn't enough to stop the dragon now. Sensing how close it had come to freedom, it now fought even harder to get away. A wide eyed Harry watched as the magical golden chains seemed to almost flicker before his eyes. Glancing down at the original runes etched on the ground, he was alarmed to see smoke rising from that spot. He hadn't thought it was possible with this spell, but the bloody brute of a demon was burning his way through the runic scheme by overpowering it. What had he gotten himself into by agreeing to kill this thing?

Knowing what he had to do next, Harry swept his staff out in arc before him, sending a wave of pure force rolling across the top of the tower. The minor Grimm were all plowed over like bowling pins. If the next few moments weren't so crucial, he would have been tempted to yell 'Strike!'

"Winter! Keep these smaller ones off my back for a moment." Without waiting for any form of acknowledgment, Harry charged forward, skidding to a stop before his runic array. Shifting his weapon into the crook of his elbow, he unsheathed his dagger. Clenching his teeth, he slashed the blade down across the palm of his hand.

The dragon roared again, flapping it's wings, it tried to pull away, only to fail as the chains held firm. However, the chains did flicker dangerously, and a sizzling sound could be heard from the runes on the ground in front of him. The tower shook again as the Grimm's legs came back down upon it from it's failed escape. He was lucky not to be crushed, though the shaking of the tower was enough to knock him down.

Ignoring the stinging in his elbows from where they impacted the floor, Harry crawled back onto his knees without a word. He needed to do this now or it would be too late. Cupping his hands together, he let the steady trickle of his own blood start to pool in his palms. That's when he began to speak again. This time it was low and under his breath, but anyone even slightly attuned to magic would have been able to feel the power gathering. Finishing the incantation, there was a small flash of light, and Harry allowed the crimson liquid to pour through his fingers, directly onto the runic array.

With another flash of light, the blood seemed to be absorbed into the floor, and the symbols on the ground changed from a flickering golden light to a stronger crimson colour to match his spilled blood. At the same time the golden ethereal chains holding the Grimm in place changed colour in reflection as well, becoming much more solid-looking at the same time.

Harry tried to stand and stumbled back a few steps, having to lean on his staff for support. Blood magic was both a powerful and dangerous art. The British Ministry of Magic had labeled it as Dark Magic but that wasn't true. Could it be used for nefarious purposes? Absolutely, but so could most magic. Blood magic was best used in defensive magic or for seals, but it came at a high cost. A witch or wizard was literally binding their life to the protection they cast, and if it was broken or otherwise overcome, the caster would at very least lose their connection to magic, and the worst their life. So it was with trepidation, Harry glanced once again up at the beast he had just intertwined his fate with. At least it didn't look like it was going anywhere now.

He glanced down at his palm taking in the unblemished skin. The spell he'd been required to speak before using his blood had healed the cut for him. "Harry!" Winter was facing off against a few more minor Grimm, but had managed to glance his way looking concerned, "What just happened?"

"I was just making sure that our big friend over here didn't leave the party early." He twirled his staff around in his outstretched hands, getting a feel for it better. Even though she was doing fine on her own, Harry decided to help out. They needed to plan on how they were going to tackle the dragon instead of continuing to wing it. Twisting his staff in the spot where the weaponsmith had indicated, he heard a series of whirrs and clicks as a curved blade extended out from the top and unfolded. Taking a split second to admire the full form of his new polearm, Harry sprinted forward. Jabbing it forward, the blade slide home into one of the beowolves backs. Hands spread far apart on the shaft, Harry used it as a makeshift lever, and flipped the dying Grimm to the side.

Entering the fray, Harry sidled up to guard Winter's back. The minutes that followed fell it to a rhythm of jabbing, slashing, twirling, and blocking. Grimm fell in waves around them, filling the air around them with the putrid smoke that came as their bodies evaporated.

"We've got to end this." Twisting his weapon again, the blade on the end retracted out of existence. Without waiting any longer, Harry once again thrust his staff forward, this time releasing a thick stream of flames before him. He managed to burn through many of the Grimm that were approaching the duo, but he paid it no heed as he slowly began to walk forward. He kept twirling the end of his staff in small circles to keep the fire going. He pushed it to burn brighter. Hotter. Bigger.

Once he'd gotten it to the point that he wanted, Harry flicked the end of his staff up, his fire following suit. It roared up towards the sky completely enveloping the dragon in its embrace. Letting it burn for a moment, Harry relaxed his posture slightly. He could hear the dragon shrieking in its fiery cocoon, and Harry was sure it would soon be finished. What he hadn't expected was for his own fire to explode outwards towards him. The Grimm had blown away with several beats of its giant wings.

He managed to shield himself from the worst of the backlash, but Winter wasn't so lucky. She tumbled backwards a few times, coming precariously close to the edge of tower, and Harry saw her body once again enveloped in white light that seemed to stutter and break. Just like the first time he'd met her, her aura had broke. Cursing under his breath, Harry began to stumble over towards his partner, still reeling from the explosion himself. As he did so, he kept hearing a strange constant rumbling whine that he couldn't place.

A few feet away from Winter, several loud shrieks split the air. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the nevermores in the area were finally joining the party. Hefting his staff up again, Harry tried to figure out the best way to deal with them, all the while beginning to think that he had truly underestimated the task set before them.

For once, luck shined down upon him, as his preparation wasn't necessary. The sound he'd been hearing before, turned into a loud roar as two bullheads pulled up into view alongside the tower. They didn't look nearly as nice the one Winter used, but they obviously did the trick.

A large side door retracted, and before Harry got a chance to try and look in, gunfire roared into existence. A young woman, who looked to be about eighteen or nineteen, stood in the entrance, sunglasses on, firing off one of the largest miniguns he'd ever seen. The nevermores stood no chance as the paths her bullets carved literally cut several of them in two.

He saw the door to the second bullhead opening as well, and a minute later, someone jumped out, landing on the top of the tower near him. It was Professor Goodwitch and she did not look happy. "I didn't think you could help us?"

The professor's green eyes flashed to meet Harry's making him wish he could find somewhere to hide, "Even with James' latest harebrained scheme, I didn't expect you to actually wake the dragon." Her tone was biting. Harry winced.

"Things haven't really gone to plan…" she didn't respond, instead turning towards the dragon and taking out a- _wait… was that a riding crop?_ Swishing it through the air, much like Harry would his wand or his staff, pieces of rubble and other debris floated up into the air, and came together to form long spears. _Was she using transfiguration? Was Goodwitch a magic user?_

Another flick of her crop had her new projectiles rocketing forward and impaling themselves on the Grimm. As the dragon cried out in pain, Harry finally got his first good look at it since he'd tried to roast it. Large swaths of it's skin had bubbled or cracked open, but most unexpectedly was the fact that he couldn't see any more of that tar-like goop on it's body. If anything good had come from that attack, it seemed to be that Harry had burned that substance away. Hopefully that meant that the dragon couldn't spawn more lesser Grimm or heal itself.

Running forward now that he had backup again, Harry twirled the end of his staff over the ground. Most of the larger debris was now gone from Goodwitch's attack, but there was still plenty of smaller stuff left. Much smaller stuff actually. Mounds of dust rose from the ground like some kind of strange fog, then with his focus on what he wanted, Harry thrust his staff forward and slightly upward. The dust shot forward in a streamlined cloud, weaving it's way through the Grimm's limbs before flying right into one of the beasts enraged eyes.

Once again, it let out a distressed roar, straining against the crimson chains with all it's might. The blood magic restraint held firm, but once again the tower was rocked. The beast kicked it's hind legs back and forth, chipping off great slabs of concrete as it did so. Harry prepared to try the same thing as before but stopped in surprise when the Beacon instructor beat him to it. Even from meters away, Harry could see Goodwitch gritting her teeth, eyes narrowed, as she fought to keep the structure together.

Taking advantage of the moment, Harry moved towards the Grimm, once again getting closer to it's feet. Releasing his blade, Harry wasted no time on bringing it down point first into the Grimm's foot. Ignoring it's sounds of distress, he ripped free and proceeded to go through with a series of slashes to it's leg, rolling out of the way when it tried to crush him. Eventually, he did enough damage to the muscles there that it collapsed downward.

Despite his success, it still was too high for Harry to get where he needed to do the most damaged. Spotting Goodwitch he had an idea, "Think you can get me up there?" He gestured where he was indicating while talking. The Huntress nodded. Then with a sweep of her crop, the remaining debris on the tower floated over to him forming a makeshift set of steps. Whistling appreciatively, Harry began to climb. He soon began to worry about how she was going to able to continue with no new building materials, but before he could voice his question, the steps behind him began to disassemble, only reassemble in front in him. He thought it was pretty cool.

Finally reaching an appropriate height, Harry decided to do something stupid. Maybe it was because he had done something similar before and survived? Maybe he was just more of a thrillseeker than he thought? He wasn't sure, but it wasn't until he landed on the dragon's neck after jumping off the platform Glynda had made, that he realized that this might not have been the best idea.

Despite it's massive size, the Grimm seemed to know the moment Harry landed on it's back. Thrashing around as much as it could, Harry had to duck to avoid being clotheslined by his own enchanted chain. Finally managing to get a somewhat stable grip with his legs, Harry raised his polearm above his head with both hands. Holding that position for a second, he willed pure magic into the blade, making the symbols carved there glow and the whole thing heat up. Then with no more fanfare, he brought it straight down onto the spot in front of him.

The blade hissed and spat steam as it easily slid into the Grimm's flesh. The dragon let loose one last roar, that which shook it's whole body, and in conjunction Harry, before he pushed harder on the shaft of his new weapon, driving it even deeper. The Grimm went limp beneath him as it's burning red eyes faded to black.

With a sound like tinkling glass, the crimson chains around the dragon's neck shattered like glass. Harry's felt a momentary sharp sting where he'd originally cut himself on his palm, but that faded away in seconds and Harry knew the blood magic had done its work. The contract was complete.

Thick black smoke began to rise around him, the dead dragon already starting to decompose. Breathing in was a big mistake, as Harry tried to cough away what he'd accidentally inhaled. His whole mouth felt like ash and his eyes started watering. Trying to find a way to get down, Harry lost his foot on the suddenly less solid body beneath him and he began to fall towards the ground. He may or may not have let out a very high pitched shout when it happened.

Speeding towards the ground, Harry had been surprised to find himself suddenly slowing down. For a moment he'd thought he'd been the subject of an arresto momentum spell, but he caught Goodwitch pointer her riding crop him, catching him with whatever her power was.

Landing on his feet, he checked himself over. Proud that had made it ok. His first priority was to check on Winter, which proved to be unnecessary as he spotted her already heading his way. Just as she reached his side, Goodwitch approached as well.

"Are you hurt?" He looked Winter over.

She smiled tiredly, "A little banged up and tired, but I am doing well."

Harry nodded, but they both were interrupted by Glynda clearing her throat. Seeing how she had both their attention she spoke, "Due to the days events, I think it best we all have a little chat."

She didn't look angry anymore, but she didn't look as pleased as he'd hoped either. Her face was actually quite neutral. It felt like the calm before the storm, and for some reason that scared Harry even more.

* * *

With the swish of his wand, the last section of the wall came back together with the ceiling, and the windows became whole once more. "Your abilities are very impressive Mr. Potter."

"Thank you professor. Your… semblance… is the closest I've seen someone have to my own." He eyed their handiwork carefully. "This would have taken a lot longer than it did without your help."

Harry's last comment was very true. He could have done it himself, but it would have taken a very long time. The small group of huntsman she'd brought with her had managed to hold a perimeter around the tower while they worked, and Glynda had focused mostly on levitating missing pieces up to the top of the tower while Harry did most of the actual repairs.

"I still find it hard to believe that so much was accomplished today." Glynda glanced around the room with a strangely wistful expression. It took Harry a moment to remember that this had been the old Headmaster's office. The one who had died.

Harry walked up beside Glynda. "I'm sorry for your loss."

She jumped looking startled, "I- what?"

"Headmaster Ozpin. I never had the pleasure of meeting him, but I heard he was a good man." Her shock seemed to fade as her expression cycled through a variety of emotions before finally settling down as she gave him a searching look.

After a moment of silence she spoke. "He was one of the greatest I've ever known and a very close friend." She sighed. "It's unfortunate that despite all that today has brought, it won't be enough."

"What do you mean?" Harry shifted to the side allowing Winter room to stand beside him as she approached them.

"I'm not sure what James was thinking exactly when he sent you both here, Miss Schnee. Just because you killed the dragon and were able to fix the general structure of the tower, doesn't mean we are ready to hold Beacon. It's a good start… more than I thought we would accomplish in a long time, but there are still hordes of Grimm roaming the area."

"I think I can do something about that." Striding across the office, Harry waved his wand over the floor. A large circular section in the centre seemed to almost ripple as if it were water. A complicated series of twirls later had that section of the floor lower down a few inches.

"What are you doing?" Goodwitch sounded scandalized.

Harry winced as he was once again reminded that this used to be Ozpin's office. To her it probably looked like he was desecrating her friends office. "I'm setting up protections for all of Vale."

She seemed unable to respond coherently at the moment so Harry just went ahead with what he was doing. He caught Winter watching the whole thing with interest from Glynda's side. Fiddling with his Mokeskin pouch, he summoned what he wanted. Because of the undetectable extension charm and the size of the object he was removing, the mouth of the bag grew to about fifteen times it's regular size just to accommodate it. Slowly but surely a large pillar of stone made itself known as it was levitated out of the bag.

Once free, Harry was quick to move it into the correct position and lower it into the indentation in the ground he'd just made. Taking a step back, Harry gave it a once over. The stone strongly resembled one of the large standing stones from Stonehenge except for the fact that the whole thing was covered in runes. He'd started preparing it the moment he'd heard of their mission here in Vale.

Next he carved four runes equally spaced from each other around the circle in the floor. Pulling a few galleons out of his pocket, he used his wand to float them in the air before him. A twist and flick later had the gold coins lose their shape, flowing into a more liquid form. No magic apart from a philosopher's stone could conjure or transfigure gold, but if you already had some, it was quite easy to reshape it.

Flowing through the air, the gold split into four chunks and each floated down to one of the runes. It only took a second for the liquid gold to fill in the engraved shapes perfectly. Another flick of his wand, and the precious metal solidified once again. The last symbols he'd created there on the floor, were mostly just to connect the rune stone to the tower that very soon would be living up to it's namesake… as a beacon.

Taking a few more steps forward, Harry placed both of his hands across the dark rock. Extending his senses outwards, he willed magic to ignite within the stone he was touching. The runes he'd carved into the very rock were more than just random shapes, they were designs that resonated with magic itself. It's how runes worked in the first place. During his momentary meditation, Harry once again felt that trace amount of foreign magic in the air. He still couldn't quite get a feel for it, but he could tell it was ancient, and powerful. Whatever it was, it had been stationed at Beacon for a long time, and had only just been moved recently. On instinct, he drew upon the residue of that energy and funneled it into his wardstone.

With a gasp, Harry stepped back as he felt the stone come alive with a humm. Opening his eyes, he was greeted to the sight of the runes lighting up. They began to get brighter and brighter until everyone had to shield their eyes, then with one last burst, Harry felt the wave of energy come off the stone. Moving his arm down, he saw that the bright light was gone, though the stone was still glowing softly, and he could see the wave of magic spread out from the tower across the Kingdom of Vale.

Both Winter and Goodwitch had hurried to the window and were watching the proceedings in awe. As his ward spread, it was easy to see the Grimm slowly migrating away. Even more incredibly, especially he assumed for the kingdom's inhabitants, were the parting clouds. Rays of sun began to shine down on the Kingdom for the first time in over six months, and the ever present fog was finally being burned away. The pressure straining against his occlumency also lessened, then completely disappeared as well. He was sure everyone would be feeling happier than they had in months that night.

Goodwitch turned to Harry, her expression missing her usual strictness in her surprise. "Wh-what is all this?"

"Vale's protection."

She glanced out at the retreating Grimm once again. "But how is it possible?"

Harry just smiled, not answering the question she'd asked, "This isn't perfect. It won't stop Grimm or any other enemies from getting in the Kingdom, but it will divert Grimm away. Think of it like a form of telepathic disuagement field. The Grimm won't come close unless someone is controlling them and directing them here."

"And this was all part of James' plan?"

"Partially." Glynda nodded but was back to looking at Harry shrewdly. Surprisingly it didn't feel threatening in anyway.

"Are you two not going to give anything else away?"

Winter stepped in, "I believe it would best for you to speak to General Ironwood yourself."

"Oh, I do plan to have a nice long chat with that man." Her eyes flicked back to Harry again. "I'll need to go talk to the others back in the city about these new developments."

"It has been a pleasure making your acquaintance once again Professor Goodwitch."

"Yes, it was nice meeting you." Harry inclined his head as he spoke.

Glynda nodded stiffly at them both before turning and walking away. Before reaching the door to the staircase, she hesitated and looked back. "Thank you for what you've both done. It was reckless, stupid, and you almost unleashed a horror back on our world that could have made things a hundred times worse, but in one day, you've given us back our hope. Things have been hard here in Vale, and I think this is just what our people needed."

"I did what I could." She held Harry's gaze for a moment more before turning away for the last time, and walking out of sight.

Harry strode over to the window slowly, looking out at the sunset over Vale.

"It's beautiful." Winter stood beside him.

"It is." There was a moment of silence.

"What was that you did before?"

"Hmm?"

"During the battle, I mean… with your blood." Harry's body tensed. "I saw you cut yourself and you did something with your blood."

Harry sighed, "It's called blood magic."

"Sounds somewhat morbid."

He chuckled. "It kind of is. From where I'm from, many believe it to be evil."

She gave him a questioning look, "Why did you use it then?"

"The dragon was going to break through the binding I placed on it. I couldn't allow it to escape." He answered simply.

Winter looked thoughtful as she continued to gaze outwards for another minute in silence. "So what's the drawback?"

"What?" Harry looked startled.

This time it was Winter's turn to sigh, "It's obvious it has some kind of drawback, otherwise you would have started out using this blood magic. To get this extra power you had to sacrifice something, correct? So what was it?"

Harry was silent for several moments before answering simply, "My life.

"WHAT?" Harry jumped at her exclamation. "But your not- when- you-"

"I'm not going to die now!" Winter stilled, he could still see the turmoil in her eyes, but at least she seemed willing to listen. "By strengthening the binding with my blood, I tied my life to the enchantment. If it had happened to fail again… well then it would have killed me. I'm fine now though. I'm free."

She continued to stare at him for a minute, before she spoke, "Why would you do that? This isn't even your world?"

"It doesn't matter which world I'm on, people are still people, and I wasn't going to let some bloody demon dragon go destroy their homes for a second time."

Her expression was unreadable before she turned to look back out the window. "Not many would be willing to sacrifice their lives like that."

Copying her, Harry turned to look back over the landscape too. "Is that not what Huntsman do?"

To his surprise, he felt her slip her hand into his own and give it a squeeze. Her soft skin against his own sent tingles up his arm.

"It's what Huntsman do." She confirmed.


	8. A Night Out

**Chapter 8**

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _Hey Everyone. I'm sorry for the really long wait for this chapter. School has been hell this past month. This chapter was actually pretty exciting to write, as it's pretty much the first scenes I imagined when I got the idea for this story. Despite that, I was worried at first that it wouldn't be very long, and then it somehow turned into the behemoth of a chapter that it is. I didn't even get through everything I thought I would in this chapter._

 _I also started to get into some more progression on the romance this chapter. I'm not sure how well I did. I don't have much experience writing it yet, but I hope it comes off ok._

 _Also, I have been making changes to canon since the beginning of this story with certain characters, but starting next chapter are when you'll start to see those effects start to spread everywhere on Remnant._

 _Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I'm blown away by the amazing response I've gotten on this story. Please leave me a review to let me know what you all think. Thanks for reading. All the best!_

* * *

Far away, separated from humanity by oceans on all sides, the one who considered herself Queen of Remnant, stiffened upon her large throne. Ever since she'd ascended beyond simple mortality all those centuries before, she'd been able to sense the Grimm around her. She had always been able to summon them from the void, but bonding their very essence to herself had only augmented her abilities, and granted her the unnaturally long life she enjoyed.

Many minor Grimm were slaughtered every day by **his** huntsman, and most the time she barely felt it. It took one of the more powerful or ancient Grimm dying to grab her attention. It had been only with her subordinates help that she'd awoken one of her more ancient children all those months ago. For the first in many years, their connection had been clear… strong, but then that little silver eyed insect had gone and ruined it all. She had thought she'd killed them all. She should have looked closer. She'd never thought the one she'd killed a decade prior had spawned a babe of it's own.

Salem had instantly felt the burning cold that had swept over her body when her child had been frozen at Beacon. She would recognize that disgusting magic anywhere. She had been angry… so very angry, but had managed to rein herself in. Her child wasn't dead, and her main objective there had been achieved. The rest there would be set right with time.

It was only now that she'd felt it all once again. The icy numbness that had become her connection to the dragon blazed back to life suddenly. Thinking that he had finally broken free, she had been thinking on how this would affect her plans going forward when the connection had died out again... this time for good. All Salem was left with was a never ending sense of emptiness.

Rising to her feet in a fluid motion, after having been forced to fight to regain control of her body for the first time in many human lifetimes, she began gliding across the hall. She hated that she had to actually concentrate on remaining steady, as to not show any weakness.

Salem had to restrain her sigh of exasperation as she saw Cinder approaching tentatively. She looked worried. She really didn't want to deal with the girl at the moment. She wouldn't be able to help her without her voice.

Spotting the green haired girl who followed Cinder around she pointed to her, "You. Girl. Come here."

"Y-yes ma'am."

Looking scared, the girl jumped into action. Again, Salem's gaze was brought back to her Fall Maiden as she stepped forward looking frustrated. Already trying and failing to smother her own irritation at appearing weak before the people in the room, she lashed out. A sweep of her arm had an unseen force pushing Cinder back a few steps and down into her chair.

"Sit down Cinder. You are useless to me in your current state." She turned back to the terrified Emerald, missing the rage on Cinder's face. Emerald looked torn between rushing to Cinder's side, and following Salem's orders but eventually made the smart choice and stayed where she was. Maybe she wasn't as incompetent as she'd thought.

"I need you to find Hazel. Tell him to forget the White Fang for now. I need him to find out what's happening in Vale… at Beacon, and then he is to report directly to me. Do you understand?"

"B-but Hazel and Doctor Watts have already left on their missions."

Maybe she was a bit hasty, it seemed this girl was as foolish as she thought. "I know that. You will leave and catch up with him. You are only here because of your loyalty to Cinder, fail or disobey me, and you won't like the consequences." The girl gave a shaky nod, her green dreadlocks sway with her head. "Then go!" Again, the girl startled, before scurrying away. Her grey haired companion watched her with a look of mild concern.

Brushing away her irritation, Salem moved back, at a much more sedated pace, towards her throne. It seemed more of her plans were falling apart in unexpected ways. Ozpin's body was not recovered, the relic had disappeared, some magic user had taken out several of her experiments, and now it seemed that one of her eldest children had fallen.

She needed to know what had happened at Beacon. She needed to know where her oldest foe was now. Salem was sure he'd taken on another new host, and had somehow unlocked his full power again. The very possibility chilled her to the bone. It made her acquisition of the Maidens and the death of the Silver Eyed abomination all the more crucial.

She'd sent Tyrian after the girl, and doubted he'd fail, but maybe it was best to send one of her other experiments as back up… one of her newest creations. It had taken her a surprisingly long time to force the infection take hold, but with persistence she once again had a new child, born to live in a now only partially human host. She knew, if there was anyone who could sow dissent between this Ruby Rose, and the other children she was traveling with, it would be her new daughter.

* * *

"You're both back early?" General Ironwood looked up from his desk in surprise as Harry and Winter were let into his office. They had just got back to Atlas, and much like the last time, Winter had insisted on them reporting in immediately. "I'm hoping nothing went amiss."

"No sir. We successfully accomplished all of our objectives in Vale."

The General's eyebrows rose even higher. "You mean the dragon's dead?"

"We killed it." Harry affirmed. "I don't think I ever want to go against something like that ever again. I had a few close calls. We both did."

Winter gave him a significant look as he said that. He knew she was thinking about what he'd told her about blood magic. Since their talk, he'd noticed that she seemed to be constantly switching between admiration for what he'd done, and anger at how much risk he'd taken on. He just sort of hoped she'd make her mind up about her feelings on the matter soon.

"To be honest, even after seeing your abilities, I started to be concerned that I may have been too hasty. I was contemplating attempting to send word for you to return to Atlas, but it seems my doubts were unfounded and you're back even faster than I anticipated."

"Well, I didn't want to waste any time."

Ironwood nodded, "What other news do you have from Vale? Did you have any problems with their officials? I'm assuming things will be beginning to get back into order now that you cleared the grimm out?"

"Professor Goodwitch was very hospitable upon our arrival." Winter added and Harry noted that the Generals expression seemed to soften. "She compiled her own report to be given to you on our return. I've already forwarded the file to you. As for the tower, though Mr. Potter and Professor Goodwitch were able to repair almost all of the structural damage, the wiring and electronics is another story altogether. It will take time to have fixed, but the CCT should be functional once again, sooner rather than later."

"That's very good news, this should serve to lessen much of the tension that's slowly been building between the Kingdoms." He reached down to pick up his scroll.

Unable to help himself, Harry interjected, "Like Miss Schnee said, Professor Goodwitch was very helpful. She did seem very determined to speak to you though… something about you ordering foolishly dangerous missions in her Kingdom without clearing it with her first… or something like that. She seemed really worked up."

Ironwood froze halfway through the action of retrieving his scroll, the colour in his face seeming to drain away. He gently set it back down and pushed it away, "Maybe I should take a look at that later."

Harry didn't even try to hide his grin. He was sure that the General was in for a serious tongue lashing.

"Is there anything else you need from us sir? I'd like to get cleaned up from our mission if possible. Professor Goodwitch's report should cover most of the details. We can provide more though if needed." Winter asked.

"There is something." He hesitated. "I received tickets for an upcoming concert for your sister."

Harry looked to Winter, curious to see how she'd react. She'd told him before that her sister was the closest member of her family. "Oh." She froze for second before adopting a somewhat wistful smile. "Weiss is singing again."

"Yes." Ironwood nodded. "The SDC is holding a charity event in support of Vale."

Winter's expression faltered and became quite fixed. Harry had a feeling she wanted to say something but was holding it in. Instead she asked, "Where is it taking place?"

"You're father is holding the concert and the reception afterwards in Schnee Manor."

She seemed to struggle with something for a moment before looking down. "Unfortunately I will not be able to attend my sister's performance than. I have not been able to get near my family's property once, ever since…" She trailed off.

"Ever since you came to work for me and gave up your claim to the company." Winter nodded. "These tickets were given to us for myself, and a few others to attend. I doubt your father would risk the bad publicity associated with denying you, especially if you are attending as a representative of the Atlesian Military."

"That works both ways sir. My father is an extremely petty man. Even if I get in, he will strike back at you for the perceived slight anyway. Do you really want to risk it?"

"I will if you want to go."

"Why?"

"I know how much your sister matters to you Winter."

There was a pause, "Thank you James. I don't want to risk it. With everything going in the world, we can't afford to go to war with my father."

Harry felt a little awkward at this point. This had obviously veered off course from the usual professional setting, into something a bit more personal between friends. Though she'd already told him a bit about her family's story, he wasn't sure if she wanted him to hear all this. If one thing was clear though, it was how disappointed Winter was in being unable to see her sister. It went beyond unfair, and Harry's mind was already spinning with ways to rectify all this.

"If you're sure?" She nodded. "Ok. Though I'm not so sure I'll be able to stay in your father's good graces anyway."

"What do you mean?" She looked concerned.

"Let's just say he was none too happy about the dust embargo I passed through the council. He wanted to remind me of the millions of lien I was costing him." Winter's hand balled into a fist. "I actually ran into Weiss on the way out."

"How did she look?" Harry was surprised at how vehemently her question came across. He wondered how long it had been since Winter saw her.

"Well enough, I would think." He paused. "I got the same feeling from her that I did from you all those years ago. She fought for her life at Beacon. She saw the true dangers this world pose. I don't believe she is content just sitting here in Atlas." The room was silent for a moment. "I believe that's all I need at the moment. You're both free to leave and get some rest." He looked down awkwardly at his scroll. "I should… deal with Glynda's message."

Winter straightened up, as if trying to look slightly more formal would erase the familiarity with which they'd just spoke. "Thank you General."

Harry nodded to him, following Winter out. They took the elevator down in silence. The receptionist didn't acknowledge them as they passed, too busy with whatever she was doing on her terminal.

After spending a few minutes walking through the still confusing labyrinth of hallways that was this compound, Harry broke the silence. "Are you doing ok?"

Winter glanced over, face unreadable. "I'm fine." He just gave her a look causing her to sigh, and clarify. "I will be fine. I'm a little disappointed right now but I'll get over it. I'm more worried…" she paused for a second, giving him an appraising look, before obviously deciding that she trusted him enough to continue, "I'm worried about why Weiss has returned to singing. Don't misunderstand me, she is incredibly talented and did enjoy it for a time, but it's just one more thing my father turned into a tool for his own use. She quit shortly before leaving for Beacon, and I'm worried he's forced her into it again for this publicity stunt of a gala he's hosting."

Harry nodded, "I understand. I told you about my past before, and there's been many times I've had people want me to use my fame to help them."

"Many believe fame is the ultimate human aspiration, but don't realize it is just as much a burden as it is a reward."

"And sometimes much more a burden than ever a reward." He added absentmindedly, before continuing a few moments later. "You and the General seem quite close?"

Harry once again found himself on the receiving end of Winter's piercing gaze. Her blue eyes, meeting his own green ones, seeming to test his worth. Like the last time, Winter must have found him trustworthy as she began to talk, "We are. I try to keep professional at all times, but when I enrolled in the Military, James became much more of a father figure to me than my biological one ever was. He guided me when I attended school here, and was able to stand firm to my father when he came calling about getting me removed from my new positions in the Military."

Harry took all this new information in with interest. He liked learning anything new that he could about Winter. He was slowly but surely trying to figure the enigma that she was. It seemed beyond that gruff exterior, Ironwood really did care, though the more he learned about Winter's father, the more he grew to dislike the man. Winter loved her sister, and because of her father's pride, she couldn't go see her in private or at this charity event. Harry decided then and there that his earlier idea was a good one.

"So, do you want to do something else instead that night? If you can't go to the concert, I thought I could at least take your mind off of it. We can both get all dressed up, and have our own little night out instead."

Winter raised one of her eyebrows elegantly, a slight dusting of pink appearing on her cheeks, "Are you asking me on a date?"

Harry hadn't actually intended on it being a date at first, but he soon realized that it had sounded like that. He wasn't opposed to the idea at all. He really liked Winter, even though she was somewhat shutoff at times, and strict. Harry had already seen for himself how kind she could be. She had some unresolved problems with her family, but Harry was no stranger to that. He knew how hard it could be growing up with that kind of homelife, and with what she had accomplished, it only served to prove how strong she was.

Apart from that, there was the obvious. Winter was extremely beautiful. Her unique white hair, large blue eyes, elegantly defined eyebrows, and full lips all drew Harry's attention. She had a figure many women would die for, and he had certainly noticed. Overall, Harry found he was very much not opposed to the idea of asking Winter Schnee on a date.

"I guess I am. Do you have any objections?"

She gave him an exaggerated show of looking him over. "I suppose I can manage to survive one night in your company."

Harry to stifle his snort, "Why thank you my Lady." He gave an overly flourished bow.

"They never said I wasn't generous." Winter smirked. "Now, let's go home."

"How very forward of you." He teased waggling his eyebrows.

Harry wasn't fast enough to avoid the retaliatory swat to the back of his head, but he knew he'd deserved it.

* * *

Harry pulled the soft fabric beneath his fingers until it was taut. Glancing in the mirror, he adjusted the bow-tie until it was straight. Only then did he run gaze over the rest of his body. He was happy that he always kept a full wardrobe in his bag, otherwise he would have had to have gone out to buy a new tuxedo here on Remnant. It only took him a second to smooth down his shirt, and make sure everything else was in place.

It had been a few days since he and Winter had returned to Atlas, and tonight was the night of her sister's concert. He hoped she liked the idea he'd come up with. It was actually surprisingly easy for him to accomplish with his abilities, but he still had to be careful.

Leaving his room in Winter's apartment, he entered the living room, stopping to lean against against the wall while he waited. He started levitating small objects around the room wandlessly to pass the time. Something as simple as this didn't pose him much of a challenge anymore, but he knew back on earth, most magicals wouldn't be able to do it. Despite that, Harry knew it was always good to practice. With that in mind, he started adding more and more objects to his control. As even that was done with relatively minor effort, he next started having them moving in increasingly complex patterns. Just as he was starting to be forced to actually pay closer attention to what he was doing, he found his concentration completely disrupted.

Winter had stepped out into the room, drawing his eye immediately. He probably would have stared longer if the thud of several objects hitting the floor, and the sound shattering of glass didn't bring him back to what he was doing or rather, what he was no longer doing.

"Have my possessions angered you in some way as to warrant their untimely destruction?" She raised a delicate eyebrow, and Harry could feel his own face flush slightly in embarrassment.

"I'll fix it." He blurted out, ejecting his wand, he waved it around the room, repairing everything and returning it all to it's previous state. Taking his weight off the wall, Harry approached his roommate, partner, and date for the evening. "You look beautiful."

And she really did. Her hair was still in its usual style, but she seemed to have applied a bit more makeup, not that he thought she really needed it, and instead of her usual Military uniform, she wore a dress. It looked to be made of a much thinner than usual, dark blue fabric, that came up under her large bust, leaving her shoulders bare. It hugged her body snuggly, only becoming a big looser around her legs where it parted with a long slit.

"I know I do." Despite her teasing arrogance, Harry could see that the smile she gave at the compliment was genuine. "You clean up surprisingly adequate as well."

"Just adequate?"

"Yes, well, I can't be as free with my praise as you are, it would put you in danger getting an inflated ego."

"Really? You think I'm the one with the ego problem? What about yourself Miss Schnee?"

She mock gasped, "Me? If that's how you treat your ladies on dates, I'd understand why you've had such a hard time in the past." Her eyes twinkled somewhat mischievously. "I believe I have a perfectly good head on my shoulders, thank you very much. As for you, I think it's pretty self explanatory Mr. We-Can-Totally-Take-Down-A-Dragon-On-Our-Own. If that's not arrogance, I don't know what is."

Harry gaped at her for a minute, before breaking out in his own grin. "Well, it's not really arrogance if we succeeded, is it?" She harrumphed, before he leaned in closer to her ear, "Admit it, you thought me tackling that dragon was sexy didn't you?"

She smacked him lightly on the chest, seemingly fighting to keep her face neutral, and failing as her cheeks reddened. "I'm above such baser instincts. I was a little busy worrying about our own survival at the time."

"If you say so…" her glare clearly told him to drop it. He didn't think he was supposed to find her expression cute instead of threatening, but he couldn't help it. He did acquiesce to her wishes anyway. "Shall we be off?"

"That would be acceptable. Shall I call my driver?"

"Don't worry, I've already got it all worked out." She looked surprised but took his arm and allowed him to lead her out. They both walked down the hall, and rode down the elevator in a comfortable silence. A few moments later they exited the elevator into the parking garage.

He spotted their ride right away, and it seemed Winter did as well. "That's a military car." She commented, evident confusion lacing her tone.

A driver exited the limousine type vehicle, and quickly moved to open the door for them both. Winter watched him with a quizzical look on her face, as she climbed inside. It wasn't until the door had been shut behind them, and the car had begun to move that Winter seemed to come to some sort of realization. Her face brightened and she even became visibly amused.

Leaning over, she whispered into Harry's ear, "Did someone go to the General for help on setting up a date."

Harry couldn't help but shiver at her sudden closeness, and the feel of her breath on his ear. She wasn't wearing the most conservative of dresses, something Harry suddenly found himself intimately aware of.

He wasn't quite sure what had gotten into her that night, but Winter was being a lot more forward than usual. He knew she usually had to have a complete control of her emotions for her job, and he wondered if he'd had this much of an impact on her, just by asking her on a date.

Harry was suddenly glad that no one else was around to see how long it took for him to get his thoughts back in order, yet when he did, he managed to give her a crooked grin. "You should know Specialist Schnee, when in the field you have to use all available resources to succeed on your mission."

"And what is your mission pray tell?" She shot back.

"I guess you'll just have to wait and find out."

The car continued to slip through the busy streets of Atlas with ease. The sun had just set, but the lights of the most technologically advanced kingdom kept the night alive. Winter was usually quite observant of her surroundings, but that night, it seemed she had let her guard down. It wasn't until after they'd been moving away from the downtown for a while that she seemed to notice something was up.

Harry was able to figure it out, as he'd felt her stiffen beside him, and he'd seen her eyes start to dart around to the streets outside the window. "Harry, why are we here?"

The car had gotten into a cue, approaching a large gated property. "It's for the surprise outing I told you about."

Her grip on his hand tightened to near painful levels. "I thought I told you and James that this was not a good idea."

"Do you trust me?" She'd shown that she did many times over their short partnership, but now, faced with the proximity to her family's home, she hesitated. Working to free his hand from Winter's aura enhanced grip, Harry flexed his fingers a few times to get feeling back in them before ejecting his wand from it's holster.

He waved it over her a few times, making her jump, as he murmured under his breath for a few moments. Another flick of his wrist conjured a small hand mirror. "I took your concerns to heart Winter, but as you know, my… abilities… let me bend or outright break most rules." He handed her the mirror with a wink.

Just as he had expected, he heard her gasp a moment later. Her hand moved up towards her face seemingly of it's own accord, making him able to catch her wrist with ease. "It's just an illusion, so I'd avoid touching it if possible."

Her hand fell back down to her lap. "I- it looks so real."

Harry leaned over to look in the mirror as well, seeing his own reflection come close to that of a stranger. The girl looking back at him had strawberry blonde hair instead of Winter's normal white. She also had softer, slightly more rounded features, and her eyes were a dark green. This new look couldn't quite pull off the same aristocratic elegance that had caught Harry's eye from the start, but he could still detect Winter's face under the disguise.

"I would've much rather have spent the night with you looking like yourself, but I thought this would be a good compromise so you could see your sister perform."

Even with the illusion, Winter blushed slightly at the subtle praise, before she turned slightly to look out the window. Harry was slightly worried that she hadn't said anything, but a moment later, when she turned back, he was surprised to see her eyes shining brightly with an indiscernible emotion. "Why would you do all this for me?"

"Because I know how much your sister means to you." He answered softly. "You told me that she is the only real family you have left. Trust me when I say I know how important that is. There isn't a day I don't regret the days I could've had with my god-father after he died."

Winter reached down and took Harry's hand within her own again. She gave it a quick squeeze, luckily this time not as hard. "Thank you." Her voice was barely a whisper but he heard it and gave her hand a squeeze back.

A few minutes later, their car pulled to stop in front of their destination. Harry went to get out on his own, but the driver beat him to it. Knowing it was the man's job, Harry held in his sigh of exasperation. Climbing to his feet on the sidewalk, surprisingly clear of snow for Atlas, he turned and extended his hand back into the car. Now, Winter is an extremely independent woman, used to working in a highly competitive and mostly male driven work environment. In most cases, she couldn't afford to show anything that might be considered a form of weakness. At the same time, Harry knew she had grown up in a well off family, and he had picked up quite easily that she sometimes enjoyed many of the formalities associated with that style of life. He was happy to note that she seemed to be in the right mood, as she accepted his hand with her usual grace.

Starting to walk up towards the large building, the broad silhouette of General James Ironwood was easy to see near the entrance. He cut an imposing figure, standing with the light at his back as he waited for them. Looking around at the grounds around him, Harry leaned over slightly to speak in his date's ear, "Did your father really build a private entertainment hall this large on his own property?"

Winter sighed, "Yes, if you haven't figured it out already, he likes to rub his wealth in everyone's face. Until you've seen the house, you haven't seen anything though."

"Sounds worse than the bloody Malfoys," Harry muttered to himself. Winter glanced at him in question but he waved her off for the moment. Finally, the duo reached the entrance to the building where the General was waiting. "Mr. Potter, Lieutenant Winters."

Inwardly, Harry was pleased at the name. He didn't think anyone would be able to make the connection between Winter Schnee and the woman they were presenting her as, but by making her fake last name so similar to her actual first name, if anyone of them made a mistake, it should be easy to cover up.

"General," Harry inclined his head.

"General Ironwood, sir!" She snapped off a quick salute.

"At ease, the both of you." Harry had already been pretty relaxed, but for Winter, the change in her body was much more pronounced. She'd gone quite rigid as she'd switched back to work mode. "You can both relax. We're not on duty tonight. That being said, we were invited here as representatives of the Atlesian Military, make sure your behaviour is suitably… responsible." His voice had risen by the end of his speech, allowing many of the passersby to hear his instructions. It was all a part of their plan.

"Yes sir," they answered in unison. Harry held out his arm once again, which Winter took without hesitation. The General walked in front of them, showing their tickets to the staff at the entrance. After being let through with no fuss, the two of them, moved towards their section at a sedated pace, Ironwood moving ahead on his own.

"I should've known you of all people could have pulled something like this off." She said as they walked through the halls. "If I'd thought of it before, I could have asked you if it were possible."

Harry shrugged, "I wouldn't have been able to surprise you then."

She rolled her eyes, "I'll have you know, I'm not usually one to appreciate surprises, but I'll admit this one was quite… pleasant."

To Harry's momentary confusion, Winter's last word had drifted off, and sounded decidedly less than pleasant as she looked over his shoulder. Following her gaze, it didn't take him long to figure out what had happened. Three people with very distinctive white hair were moving across the hall with a visible sense of purpose.

The middle-aged man had a thick white mustache that Harry thought made him look ridiculous. He seemed to be trying to look friendly and inviting to his guests, but it wasn't really working. Harry could see the annoyance on his face under his fake smile. Harry was certain this was Winter's father, Jacques Schnee, President of the Schnee Dust Company.

The younger male looked to be in his early teens, and seemed to have even less skill hiding his emotions than his father. Sure, he probably had more self control than most kids his age, but for someone like Harry, it was easy for him to see the contempt he held for those around him. Like father, like son, it seemed. In all actuality, Harry had to force himself to hold in a snicker. This little twerp was giving him vivid recollections of Draco Malfoy at that age, and it was only now, years later, that Harry realized how stupid and petty Draco had acted back then. He should never have let himself get worked up over it like he had, but as they say, hindsight is twenty-twenty.

The young woman in the group looked to be about the same age that Harry had been when he'd defeated Voldemort. She was as similar to her older sister as she was different. She had the same white hair that the whole family shared, the same aristocratic features, and the same eyes. What surprised Harry the most about her appearance was actually the differences. Winter was quite tall and had quite noticeable curves, something he couldn't deny he found very appealing, while her sister was considerably slimmer, and much shorter. Like her father and brother, Weiss didn't seem like she wanted to be there either, yet unlike them it didn't seem to be out of any sort of contempt for the people around her. It was quite interesting.

Winter stepped forward as if to move towards her sister, but Harry managed to grab her arm in time. "You'll give yourself away if you try and talk to her now," he whispered into her ear.

Winter didn't say anything for a moment, she just watched her family pass in silence. Once they were out of sight, Winter began moving immediately, pulling Harry along with her. He didn't even get a chance to say anything.

Soon enough, they had reached their section. Showing their tickets to the staff member in the area they were led to their seats. It seemed they were in some kind of box overlooking majority of the rest of the crowd. He should have figured it would be something like this, seeing as the Military representatives would probably be considered important guests.

The General was already there talking to someone Harry didn't recognize. Winter took her seat promptly. Feeling somewhat concerned, he followed her over, taking his own seat. "Are you ok?" She nodded somewhat stiffly. "Was this not a good idea? You told us you thought it would be easier not to go, but we didn't really listen to you…"

"No. Harry it's fine." She paused for a second, finally looking at him in the eye. "I'm very gracious for what you and James put together. I'm overjoyed that I'll be able to see Weiss perform, it was just a little bit of a slap in the face when I realized I couldn't even approach her. My father likes to believe I tore our family apart when I left to join the military, when it was him that did all the tearing." She emphasized her point by jerking her head forward violently. Looking in the direction she'd indicated, he saw him and Winter's brother seated in the box across the venue from theirs.

He reached up to give her shoulder a reassuring squeeze, only to realize too late that the dress she was wearing left it uncovered. As his hand came in contact with her bare skin, he couldn't help but marvel at it's softness. Her eyes met his, and even though she was wearing the wrong face, and he was looking into the wrong eyes, there was something heated to this gaze. Harry felt himself flush, and yet he couldn't look away. Realizing a moment later that he'd kept his hand on her much longer than necessary for the gesture he'd been going for, he quickly retracted it, and the two of them looked away.

They didn't say much in the minutes that followed, but luckily the performance began shortly thereafter. There were a few different artists that came out first. They were all talented but nothing really stood out to Harry that much, and despite the polite applause they all received, he figured most of the crowd felt the same way. It seemed most were here only to see the Schnee Heiress sing.

Harry wasn't sure what to expect, but was suitably impressed when Weiss Schnee was announced. She had an amazing voice, and he was fairly certain she could have made a career in music if she hadn't decided to become a Huntress. Even more impressive to Harry was what Winter's sister was singing. It wasn't that subtle but after recently becoming privy to much that was hidden about the Schnee family situation, he had to appload her courage for the statement she was trying to make. It seemed Weiss was tired of being used, and wasn't going to put up with her father's rule any longer.

Winter had picked up on it as well, if the tears that were rolling down the usually stoic woman's face were any indication. Ironwood, who had been watching the performance, also looking impressed, had turned in concern towards his subordinate. Seeing this, Harry waved him off, taking Winter's hand which made her jump. She gave a somewhat watery attempt at a smile, before seeing the General watching her. She quickly attempted to wipe her tears away looking mortified.

Seeing everything was in hand, Harry tried to return his attention to Weiss, but he was immediately distracted by the nervous glances Winter was now shooting across the venue. It didn't take him long to realize that she was worried about her father's reaction to her sister's song. It wasn't an unreasonable thought, seeing as if the Schnee Patriarch was even close to being as smart as he should be, to be running a company like he was, then he would pick up on the message his youngest daughter was sending him. Harry couldn't imagine the man would be happy. Unfortunately, they were too far away to be able to tell.

Finally, the performance came to an end. As he expected, the applause was much more enthusiastic this time. On stage, Weiss curtsied to the audience as the curtains closed in front of her. Taking this as his own cue, Harry stood, stretching his back until he heard a satisfying pop. Turning towards his date he held out his hand, "Shall we?"

She took his hand.

* * *

Harry sipped the champagne he'd gotten from one of the many serving staff wandering the ballroom, trying not to cringe. He wasn't sure why he'd taken it, he wasn't much of a champagne guy to begin with. Winter drank hers easily, looking for all the world that this kind of event was something she attended everyday. He assumed she'd been attending them for her whole life, and he couldn't help but feel sympathetic to her and Weiss. As an adult he found it extremely dull, he couldn't imagine how it would have been as a child.

He'd actually attended a few similar events at the Ministry of Magic after Voldemort's defeat, but he liked this better. At least here he wasn't being swarmed by people wanting to get a piece of The-Boy-Who-Lived. Him and Winter were unsurprisingly being excluded from much of the general conversation. Nobody important in Atlas wanted to talk to two unknown Military grunts. For their purposes, it suited Harry just fine. He didn't want anyone looking at Winter too closely. He had watched her like a hawk earlier to make sure that her tears hadn't affected the illusion he'd cast over her face. Luckily they'd been fine.

The ballroom they were in was another feature of the extremely concert venue. Harry was still having a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that someone had built this on their private property. It was bigger and probably more expensive than most public event halls within the Kingdoms or even back on Earth.

As he'd become accustomed to here in Atlas, and especially around the Schnees, the room was done up in a very white and light blue colour scheme. It wasn't necessarily unpleasant, but it felt very sterile to Harry, and reminded him strangely of a hospital.

Draining the rest of his glass quickly, Harry flagged one of the waiting staff, to deposit his empty glass. He received a nasty look from another guest when his raised arm, to unload his glass, blocked her from getting another for all of two seconds. The more he saw of the so called 'Atlas Elites,' the more they lost his respect. They were all here to raise funds to support the Kingdom of Vale, and yet he'd overheard several partygoers making snide comments about the other Kingdom. Much like how Winter thought this whole thing was a sham on her father's part, it seemed it was the same for even the guests too.

"Would you care to dance?" Winter looked up from her drink as he arrived back at her side. His fourteen year-old self would have been horrified with the very idea of having to dance again, but he'd picked up some things since the Yule Ball all those years ago. He didn't think Parvati had ever truly forgiven him, but that might have been more to do with the fact that he'd set her twin sister up with Ron, not because of the number of times he'd trode on her foot.

Winter agreed by taking his hand, as he led her out to the area in front of the band, where only a few couples were dancing. He figured they were probably the youngest ones there, the few people around their age were spending most of the evening mingling in the crowd and enjoying the free drinks instead of dancing.

Wrapping an arm around her thin waist, they set off. It didn't take long for Harry to think this might not have been the best idea. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy it, it was actually the exact opposite. He was enjoying holding her his arms way too much. The thin fabric of her dress did nothing to hide her curves from him, and it was driving him to distraction. She seemed to fit perfectly up against him, and even with all his self control, it seemed their dance had become much more intimate than he'd intended.

Her eyes were locked onto his own, and he felt that something unintelligible was passing between them. As they revolved around slowly on the spot, he lost all sense of what was happening around them. She was leaning in closer. His eyes had moved down to her lips of their own accord, only to see her tongue dart out momentarily to wet her lips. He bit back a groan as that only served to make them more enticing. He began to lean forward too, all the while wishing he could see her face for real in this moment.

Of course, with Harry's usual luck, the moment couldn't come to completion without interruption.

"SHUT UP!" The voice rang through the hall, the room falling silent just like she had commanded. Spinning around, it didn't take Harry long to realise it had come from Winter's sister, Weiss. The crowd had parted before her, leaving a clearly inebriated blonde woman out in the open. "You don't have a clue! None of you do!"

Winter had moved up beside him and was watching the scene unfolding before them with a strange expression on her face. "Excuse me?!" The indignant response would have made made Harry snort if Winter didn't suddenly seem so concerned about what was going on.

"You're all just standing around talking about nothing!" It was a bit harsh, but she wasn't wrong. "Worrying about your hair, your money… your stupid problems that don't mean anything!"

Suddenly, Jacque Schnee was on the move, and he did not look happy. Winter looked to be ready to intervene as well, therefore, not for the first time that night, Harry held his date's arm to restrain her. At the same time, her father, had grabbed Weiss by the arm roughly. "Weiss, that's enough!"

"Let go of me!" She tried to pull away.

"You're embarrassing the family!" He spoke heatedly. Harry was starting to feel a little uncomfortable holding Winter back. This was her family, and yet he couldn't afford to let her blow her cover. Her father's words were giving him flashes of all the times he'd been manhandled by his uncle, and all the times he'd been told to stay out of sight as to not embarrass the Dursleys. Harry had thought he'd gotten over all of this a long time ago, but the striking similarities were bringing it all back.

"I said let go!" With one last yank, Weiss broke free from his grasp, losing her balance and falling to the floor in the process. A glyph, similar to what he'd seen Winter summon countless times before, flashes on the floor, spinning and pulsating erratically. Before he knew what he was doing, Harry had relinquished his grip on Winter, and had ejected his wand into his hand, though he still kept it low and out of sight.

To his surprise, a Boarbatusk made of white energy formed in front of his very eyes. To Harry, it looked somewhat like a patronus but much more solid. The construct let out an angry roar, before it began charging forwards as the screams started. The woman from before stumbled back a few steps, her eyes wide in fear, "Please, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Just leave me alone!"

Harry didn't know what to do. If the woman had said something along the lines of what he thought she had to set Weiss off, he had no respect for her, but he couldn't just let her be killed. Weiss' wide eyed shock easily indicated that she wasn't in control of what was going on. He knew he should try and stop it, but if he did, it would most likely reveal his magic to the all the inhabitants of this room.

The boar-like grimm lunged through the air towards the cowering woman and her husband. Harry thought he'd hesitated too long. Suddenly, the loud bark of a gunshot ripped through the room. The white construct shattered as if made of glass, and disappeared. The whole room was silent, looking towards General Ironwood, who still had his gun raised. He had it stowed back under his coat in seconds.

"Arrest her!" The woman who only seconds before had been cowering on the floor, stood pointing angrily towards the still downed Schnee Heiress. "What are you waiting for? She's insane, she should be locked up!"

Harry felt his own temper flair. Yes, the woman had almost been mauled by a pseudo-grimm, but it was easy to see it wasn't Weiss' fault. Harry likened it much to accidental magic. He hadn't consciously wanted to blow his uncle's sister, Marge, up when he was thirteen, but he hadn't been able to control it in his emotional state. Harry was certain this was the same.

"She's the only one making sense around here." If there was anything that Harry would admit, it was that Ironwood knew how to make a statement. "Thanks for the party, Jacques." He walked out without another word, though he did purposely sweep the room once making eye contact with Harry, nodding his head towards the door. Harry knew he wanted them to follow.

Turning towards Winter, he was not surprised to see that she seemed to be rooted to the spot, eyes locked firmly on her sister. Tugging on her arm didn't get much reaction, but he did manage to start leading her across the room. He caught sight of Weiss being escorted out another entrance by one of the serving staff.

It was just as the quiet murmurs started to grow dramatically in volume that Jacques Schnee seemed to regain his footing. "I'm sorry for the interruption. My daughter had to tragically witness the fall of Beacon in person, and is having some difficulties coming to terms with the horrors she saw. I'm sure she was just overwhelmed by-" His speech cut off as they exited the room.

"Are you ok?" Winter didn't answer, still staring ahead blankly. It wasn't until they were about halfway to their destination that something seemed to blaze to life in her eyes. Suddenly, instead of him leading her, Winter was nearly dragging him down the hall. They reached the doors in moments, and then outside. The cold hit Harry like a physical blow. The temperature had dropped a lot since the sun had set, and he would've liked to have applied a warming charm.

A car was already waiting with driver holding the door open. The General was already seated inside. Winter climbed in without hesitation, Harry following a moment later. The door was shut behind them, and the car started a minute later.

"I'm getting her out of there." She started without preamble.

"Winter-"

No, James. I-" She turned towards Harry. "Get this thing off me."

She indicated towards her face. Harry was a little taken back by her harsh tone but waved his wand over her, the illusion dissipating away like smoke. As if suddenly realizing how she spoke, her expression softened a touch. "Thank you Harry."

He just nodded. He knew she was just worried for her sister. Seeing his acceptance of her unspoken apology, she turned back to her boss. "I need to get her out." When Ironwood looked ready to argue again, she continued on, "You know what it was like growing up there. It's been the same for Weiss. You saw how she just embarrassed him. Intentional or not, he won't let that go. It wouldn't surprise me if he's already named my brother his heir. I fear for her safety James."

The General held her gaze for several moments in silence before sighing as he looked down, rubbing his temples. "You'll need to get out of Atlas for a while." She nodded. "I'm not sure how much I can do to protect you."

Harry decided to butt in, "Is Weiss not of age? What could your father really do?"

"She is…" Winter began.

Ironwood picked up for her, "But Jacques Schnee is a powerful man, especially here in Atlas. He may not have an actual seat on the council, but he has his hands in many people's pockets. I doubt he'd be able to get anyone arrested, but I wouldn't put it past him to make all of our lives difficult in many different ways."

"It's fine James, I'll take her out of the Kingdom." This statement concerned Harry slightly because he wasn't sure what it would mean for him, but just based on what he'd seen, he didn't want Weiss left within that man's grasp anymore than the rest of them.

"From the few interactions I've had with your sister over the last few months, I've gotten the impression she wants to get back in the line of duty."

"It wouldn't surprise me. My sister has changed a lot since attending Beacon."

"I didn't know her well before, but I believe it was a beneficial experience for her." Ironwood, glanced out the window for a second, looking pensive. Harry wondered what he was considering. "What do you know about Team RWBY and Team JNPR?"

"Both were first year teams from Beacon Academy." Winter recited. "Team RWBY is my sister's team, and Team JNPR was the team of the late Pyrrha Nikos. They were close to my sister I believe."

"That's true." Ironwood nodded. "But what's surprising is that despite their inexperience, these two teams were the most involved in combatting our enemy before the fall of Beacon. At the moment they are scattered like the wind, but I believe it might be time to bring them back together."

"What are you proposing?" Winter had leaned forward.

"If you are deadset on getting your sister, I think it is time for you to reunite her with her teammates. Yang Xiao Long lost her arm to high ranking White Fang member Adam Taurus. I had a bionic replacement sent to her home in Patch a while ago. Blake Belladonna is currently M.I.A. but there have been hints of someone matching her description appearing on Menagerie. I wouldn't have you head for her until we have more actionable intel. Their leader, Ruby Rose, has left with the remainder of Team JNPR to head for Haven. We believe that will be the enemy's next target. I would recommend that you and Mr. Potter take your sister, and Miss Xiao Long to rendezvous with them. They are currently being shadowed by Qrow, so-"

"What?!" Winter suddenly screeched. "You want us to work with that drunken fool?"

"Winter…" Ironwood's tone was firm, and the warning was clear.

Winter deflated, "Yes, sir."

He turned to Harry next. "So what do you think, Mr. Potter?"

Harry smiled, "I think we've got ourselves a plan."


	9. Infiltrating Schnee Manor

**Chapter 9**

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _Hey everyone. Got another chapter for you guys. It's sort of like the part 2 of the last chapter and will give you guys a few more POVs other than just Harry or Salem. Like last time, I was worried about not having enough to write a long enough chapter and then this once turned out EVEN LONGER than the last. I still can't believe I broke 10k words on this update._

 _Again, I want to thank everyone for the support you've all given me. The response to this story has been amazing! It is definitely my most popular one yet. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and as always, please leave me a review to let me know what you think. All the best!_

* * *

The tears started rolling down Weiss' face the moment her body hit her mattress. It was the first time she'd cried in years, and that fact only added to her own sense of shame. Her father's words continued to echo in her head nonstop.

' _You are no longer the Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company.'_

Without any control over her body, she felt her shoulders start to heave as she began to sob. Everything she'd worked for was gone… everything her grandfather had worked for was gone. He'd been the only family member she had been truly close to apart from her sister. She'd wanted to honor his memory by returning the SDC back to what it was supposed to be.

She'd always known her father wasn't the best man, but she had always held on to some deep-seated belief… no hope… that he was better than others made him out to be. Her cheek continued to sting as if trying to silently remind her that her world was breaking even further apart around her. It wasn't like an untrained civilian like her father could really hurt her by slapping her across the face. Her unlocked aura could stop bullets and even a Beowulf's claws, but it was the implication the action gave that somehow hurt her even more. He'd never been a particularly loving father, but up until it had happened minutes before, she never would have thought he would raise his hand against her.

' _It's foolish not to do as father asks.'_

Both Weiss and Winter had never gotten along that well with their youngest sibling, but Weiss had never hated Whitley. Even now, after his betrayal, she couldn't bring herself to hate him. All she felt for her brother was pity. He bought into everything her father tried to teach them and seemingly would do anything to gain the man's approval. It was only now that Weiss realized that she was never going to get that approval from him, that she was able to finally let go of those hopes herself. She just hoped Whitley realized before too long that his current path would only lead to disappointment.

Pushing herself off her cushy bed, she wiped her tears from her eyes and squared her shoulders. If she wanted to find a way to save her Grandfather's legacy, she would need to be strong. Just as those thoughts entered her mind, her breath caught in her chest as she saw a flash of red. Focusing her gaze, she found the object in question. It was the only piece of clothing she owned outside of her usual colour palette, and only then because it reminded her of her leader.

Fingering the crimson scarf, Weiss once again had to fight back her tears as thoughts of her partner barraged her mind. Even though she was half a world away, Weiss could clearly see her mix of brunette and crimson hair, beautiful large silver eyes that would always widen so dramatically when Ruby would try and convince her to do something crazy, and even that ridiculous red hood she insisted on wearing with everything. She'd never admit it, but she thought Ruby's mannerisms were adorable, especially when she was embarrassed and tried to hide her face in said hood as if it would somehow make her disappear completely.

When she'd met the girl before initiation, Weiss never would have imagined that they would have grown so close. Their separation had left an ache she could never have anticipated. Ruby had always been a lot touchier than Weiss had been used to, never receiving much of such contact as a child. She hadn't really been comfortable with the random hugs she'd often been on the receiving end of, but now, to her own embarrassment, she couldn't fight her own desire to pull the dolt into a tight embrace. Even with Neptune, who she had thought she was interested in dating, she'd never had that urge. She wasn't sure what to think of it all as it left her more confused and somewhat scared.

Knowing her partner and leader as she did, Weiss knew that Ruby would not be able to sit around while others were in danger, and the thought that she might be out there without her sent a jolt of dread through her heart. It was at this moment that Weiss realized she had a dilemma. What was more important to her? Was it the right move to continue attempting to save her grandfather's company, or should she abandon everything that had once defined the entirety of who she was or should she go after Ruby? Was Ruby important enough to her, for Weiss to risk her whole sense of identity?

Despite how hard this would seem to decide, the choice, for Weiss, was easy. Though important, her grandfather's company was just that… a company and her grandfather was gone. Ruby was her friend. She was still alive. The actions Weiss took would still affect her life. Her life that could very well be in danger. It's not something she would have considered before Beacon, but after knowing the love of her friends, she would give anything to save them, even what may be her only chance at redeeming the SDC. She knew it wouldn't be easy. She would have to train some more, find a way to escape her father's clutches, and find out where Ruby was. In the end, she realized, her grandfather had been a huntsman first as well.

Decision made, Weiss slowly walked over towards her bedroom window. She gazed out into the dark, snow covered landscape of Atlas. This had been her home for most of her life, but much like her father, the environment was cold and unforgiving. Before the atrocities that had taken place, Vale had been such a warm and friendly place. It was a perfect compliment to the personalities of its residents, she realized, as she thought of Ruby and Yang. She would help them avenge the home that they had all lost if it was the last thing she did.

Sweeping the curtains closed, she turned around. Eyes sweeping across her room she began to move. She needed to clear space if she was going to train, so she got to work moving furniture around. Many might think it might be hard for a girl her size, especially to move her large bed, but being an aura enhanced human had its advantages, and she had no problems on her own.

Having cleared a space, Weiss pulled out a large silver metal case. Running her hand lightly over the lid, she steeled herself to see her weapon for the first time since that terrible night at Beacon. Clicking open the clamps, she took a steadying breath before slipping the lid open. Myrtenaster, her Multi-Action Dust Rapier, sat gleaming in the low light just like she'd left it. Vials of different coloured dust sat on one side. She had a bigger supply in a different compartment.

Allowing her fingers to curl around the cool metal handle, she finally pulled it free, happy to see that it still felt as comfortable in her hand as the last time she'd used it. She gave it a few practice swings and jabs, feeling more whole than she had in months. Finishing her initial test, Weiss whipped the blade back upwards so it stopped millimeters from her own face.

As she held it there, she felt oddly symbolic, like her own blade was dividing her into two reflections of herself. One side, the new her, set on her goal to save those she cared about, the other, the younger less secure version of herself seeking approval. Flicking the weapon away with a whistle of air, she prepared herself to start a training session when she was interrupted.

 _Knock. Knock._

There was a knock at her bedroom door. She stared at the closed door blankly, images of her father or brother coming back to talk to her for some reason flashed through her mind.

 _Knock. Knock._

The knocking started again, this time sounding a bit more persistent. Walking forward, Weiss tightened her stance, preparing her weapon in her off hand. As she put her hand on the door handle, they knocked again, making Weiss jump. _'Just who could it be?'_

* * *

Harry sat back with his legs crossed, deep in thought. He was in General Ironwoods office, the three of them being dropped off at Atlas Academy directly from the function on the Schnee grounds. The man in question, sat behind his desk, working away on his terminal, getting some kind of documentation ready for them. Winter had left the room after their initial arrival.

For the umpteenth time since arriving on Remnant, Harry was glad he kept his belongings on him at all times, especially since he had never gotten around to unpacking anything major at Winter's apartment. A result of this was that he'd already been able to change out of his tuxedo and into an outfit more fitting for the mission they were preparing to undertake. The formfitting tactical suits that he'd gotten in the muggle world were much better for combat and stealth missions than the robes the majority of the wizards insisted on wearing.

"Harry." The General's voice broke through his thoughts. Meeting his gaze, Harry saw the seriousness of Ironwood's demeanour and immediately straightened up. He also noted it was the first time he had referred to him that familiarly. "I need you watch out for Winter on this mission."

"Of course I will." Harry couldn't keep a little bit of indignation out of his voice. "What do you mean by that?"

He continued speaking in a level tone as if Harry had never interrupted. "Exactly what I said. There is a reason I wouldn't normally send someone as emotionally invested in the situation as her on a mission like this. All I'm asking is that you watch her back."

Before he could respond, the door to the office opened and Winter entered clad in her usual Military gear. "I'm ready to depart."

"Very well. We do still need to discuss our strategy for getting you and Mr. Potter into the manor. As you know, the Schnee grounds are some of the most well protec-"

"That won't be necessary." The General's brow furrowed. "I can get us in easily."

"Well then, with that taken car of." The fact that he didn't ask for any specifics spoke volumes to Harry about how much trust he must have already garnered from the man. Ironwood hit something on his terminal, causing Winter's scroll, and the one they'd recently given him to vibrate. "I've sent you both a copy of any documentation you may need. I've also included a missive for Qrow. Please make sure he receives it."

Harry could see Winter's jaw clench at the last part though she refrained from commenting like she had in the car.

"Remember, your mission is to take Weiss and Yang Xiao Long to rendezvous with Qrow, the remainder of team JNPR, and Ruby Rose. The teams can assist the local Huntsmen if they wish while the two of you are to work with Qrow on gathering intel on possible enemy movements in Mistral. Qrow can set up a meeting with Headmaster Lionheart once you arrive. With luck, Vale will have the rewiring of the CCT tower completed in a timely fashion and we will have contact back soon. Do you have any questions?"

Winter shook her head while she stood. On the surface, she looked calm and collected, but Harry could she the tension in her eyes. Like the General had insinuated, this was taking a heavier toll on her than it initially appeared.

"I believe we are good to go General," Harry answered this time when it seemed his partner wasn't going to say a word.

"Best of luck to you both. You'll be safe to return when things have calmed down her in Atlas. Even Jacques Schnee won't be able to keep up his antics forever." As they exited the room, Harry made sure give the General a nod when Winter wasn't looking. If the visible loosening of tension in his forehead was any indication, then Ironwood got the message. Harry would do as he'd asked.

Their walk down the hanger was quiet. Harry couldn't stop himself from glancing over at Winter from time to time, but with everything that was going on, it was clear she was lost in her own head. He was also lost in his own thoughts, though they were decidedly different from what he assumed Winter was thinking about. Their almost-kiss kept replaying itself over and over in his head. He wasn't quite sure how to feel about it. He regretted not being able to follow through on it but was somehow glad that their first kiss, that was if it wasn't just a spur of the moment thing, would not be while she was under a disguise. Even now, he yearned to finish what they'd started earlier or to at least talk to her about it, but he knew it wasn't the time.

Weaving their way through vehicles of all kinds, a familiar looking bullhead came into view. Its sides were a glistening white, and Harry couldn't help but think that they would stand out like a sore thumb. "This isn't the most inconspicuous of Bullheads to use for our mission in Mistral."

Winter turned back to face him, "That's true but it's also one of the fastest we have. If we want to catch up with that mangy old bird then we're going to need it. We'll just have to do our best not to be seen."

Harry looked it over with a critical eye, "I may be able to do something to help once we get out of Atlas."

Winter nodded, "It would be appreciated."

Climbing the ramp, the two moved through the hold area and into the now familiar cockpit. Winter climbed into the main seat and started powering on the control systems. Taking the other seat, he felt the aircraft start to hum to life around him.

"You said you had a plan to get us in. Where should I be going?"

"Is there somewhere near the property you can land without attracting attention?"

Winter thought over his question for a minute before nodding. "I believe I know of such a place."

The seat rumbled underneath Harry as Winter pulled them into the air. They carefully moved towards the exit and soon shot out into the open air.

"Good. We could have left directly from the compound but I thought it would be best for us to have the bullhead nearby just in case."

"We did just leave from the compound… what do you mean?"

Harry just wiggled his eyebrows when she glanced over at him, "I guess you'll just have to wait and see."

He heard her huff quietly as she turned her head back to look out the front, though Harry did catch the slight upturn of her mouth at the side. Though barely noticeable, it was the closest he'd seen to a smile since earlier that night, so he'd take it.

The city lights shone beneath them, as they passed through the air silently. It was a much faster ride than it had been in the limo earlier and before he knew it, Winter was setting them down near a thicket of trees at the base of a large hill. It was a pretty good choice to hide the bullhead seeing as it's colour blended into the snow naturally and the terrain around them would serve to hide them from any other prying eyes.

"So what now?" Winter stood in front of him after powering down their ride.

Getting to his own feet, Harry held out his arm. "Now, you take my arm."

"What, are we going out for a pleasant stroll in the snow?" Her words held some bite.

Knowing she was just worried about her sister, Harry ignored her tone and motioned with his preferred limb again. Sighing she took it. Tightening his own grip on her, he warned, "This will be uncomfortable."

"Wha-"

Focusing on where they had been just earlier that evening, Harry turned on the spot, and they both disappeared with a pop. The now familiar sensation of being squeezed through a small tube enveloped Harry for a moment, before with another small sound, the two of them popped back into existence. Winter immediately let go of his arm, and looked a little unsettled, but was otherwise fine. It was probably the best reaction he'd ever seen for someone being apparated for their first time. These Huntsmen really were tough.

"What was that?"

"Apparition. It's sort of like a form of teleportation."

She looked like she wanted to ask another question when they were cut off by the sound of approaching voices, "Did you hear that? I'm sure I heard something down here."

Harry reached into his pouch and whipped out one of his most prized possessions, his father's invisibility cloak, and as only some knew, one of the three Deathly Hallows. Pulling Winter back against him, he made sure to cover them both with the cloak. He motioned for her to remain silent and, though she looked confused, she did comply.

"You're just hearing things," Another voice said, as two men turned the corner. One was obviously one of the serving staff from earlier, seeing as he was still in his uniform, while the other looked to be a cleaner of some kind. "All the guests left over an hour ago. There's nobody left."

"Yeah, you're probably right. It's just that after everything I saw earlier with the boss's daughter, it's put me a bit on edge." Harry was trying his best to stay as still as possible, while Winter was even more stiff in his arms, especially after the mention of her sister.

"Did you actually see what happened? I missed it, but I heard people saying afterward that she should've been arrested… like that would ever happen the Heiress of the SDC."

"Shhhh!" The waiter shushed his colleague, looking both ways down the hall for anyone who might overhear. "Be careful who you say that to. The wrong person hears you talk like that and you'll be out of a job… or worse, but yeah, I did see it. I've always known Huntsman have… abilities, but this was just crazy! It looked like the girl summoned a Grimm… A GRIMM! That can't be natural. Maybe that woman who spoke on the broadcast of the Vytal Festival was right. Can we really trust the Huntsman? Look how much power they have, what if they turn on us?"

The other man scoffed, "That's ridiculous. The Huntsman have kept us safe for decades… why would they turn on us now? I sort of feel bad for the girl though. It might be better to be arrested than end up on the wrong side the boss. He can be real nasty when he wants to be."

Harry relaxed his arms as the two workers moved out of sight, their voices carrying away. Winter turned around under the cloak face him. It was the closest they'd come to each other like this since their dance earlier, but it seemed Winter had too many questions to notice.

"How-"

"It's an invisibility cloak." He fingered the silky material around them. "They couldn't see us."

"I've said it before, but it's certainly useful having you around."

Harry smiled, but it was somewhat strained, "It comes with years of experience learning how to be prepared for anything. Now, do you know how to get up to the main house from here? It's probably best to stay under the cloak for now."

She nodded, "Follow my lead."

And so they went, exiting the theater, and heading out into the cold. Holding back a shiver, Harry wandlessly cast a warming charm over the both of them. Winter led them up a path that seemed to stretch on forever at a decent incline. After walking for several minutes, they finally came over the crest of the hill to what many would consider a breathtaking sight. The extremely large manor was impressive, but after seeing Hogwarts lit up at night, from across the black lake, in his first year, this one lacked the same magic, so to speak.

Before long they had reached their destination, and Winter had taken them to a side door. Moving forward, Harry put his hand on the doorknob.

"Is this a traditional lock or electronic?"

"Electronic I think."

Harry grunted, and murmured, "This might be interesting then." Casting the simple first year unlocking charm with his hand, the lock clicked open. Feeling proud of himself, he went to step back when suddenly the panel beside the door sparked dangerously a few times. After a moment, it let out a little puff of smoke before the lights on it went out. "Oops."

Winter rolled her eyes as she gave him a light smack. Stepping back into the lead, she opened the door and pulled him in. Shutting it behind them, she turned back towards him. "Can you lock it again? They might send someone to check this area, and they'll probably think it was just a faulty panel if the door is still locked."

Harry reached out to the door handle once again. The loud click of the lock returning to its place serving as the answer to her question. Making sure all their limbs were covered once again, they moved off deeper into the mansion.

Despite the layout seeming to be just as confusing as the underground of Atlas Academy, Winter knew her way around just as well here. It was several minutes into the walk that Harry had changed his mind. Jacques Schnee was not like the Mafloys… he was even more of a pompous fool. How many giant rooms did one man need with white marble statues of Grimm? You could've fit the entirety of his relatives old home on Privet Drive inside some of the hallways.

After several more minutes of twisting and turning their way through the large house, Winter stopped. "If you go up that staircase there to the top, follow the hallway down to the second right. Weiss' room is the first door you'll see."

"Ok, let's get moving then."

"You go collect Weiss. I have something I need to take care of first." He tried to grab her arm, but she'd slipped out from underneath the cloak.

"Winter!" He hissed.

"Meet me back here when you've got her." Before he could try and reason with her any further she'd slipped down one of the other side hallways and disappeared. He stood there rooted to the spot, trying to figure out what to do. Ironwood's words and his own promise to watch her back rang through his head, but he wasn't sure if he'd be able to follow her now anyway.

Cursing under his breath, Harry started moving up the staircase. He had a pretty good idea what Winter was going to do, and he wouldn't be able to go after her without Weiss to show him the way. Now he just hoped he'd be able to convince the youngest Schnee daughter to trust him. Reaching the next floor, he started down the hall, passing one branch, only to come to second moments later. Following her instructions, he turned right down this one and soon came to a door. It was as nondescript as the rest of them, but Winter hadn't led him wrong so far.

After taking off his cloak, and stowing it away, Harry knocked. He thought he heard some movement on the other side, but soon enough it was all silent again. Deciding to try it again, he knocked once more, feeling a little impatient. There was definitely a noise on the other side of the door this time, but before he could think about it more, the door was jerked open and Harry suddenly found himself staring down the business of a very sharp blade.

Taking a quick step back, he took a second to make sure he was in fact in the right room. Seeing the familiar figure of the girl he'd only just seen for the first time earlier that night, now armed with a rapier of some sort, was enough relieve his worries of making a mistake. The girl in question's eyes had narrowed upon seeing him.

"Who are you?" Her voice echoed loudly down the hall causing him to wince.

"My name's Harry. I'm here to rescue you."

"What? I don-"

Cutting her off before she could attract any attention to them, he hurriedly explained, "Your sister sent me to come get you out of here."

"Winter?" Her gaze softened and she allowed her blade to drop down a bit before she remembered to point it at him again. "How do I know you're telling the truth? How do you know my sister?"

Feeling frustrated, and a bit nervous about leaving Winter on her own for so long, Harry rolled his eyes as he answered her, "I'm her boyfriend." The moment it slipped out, Harry had known it had been a mistake. Sure, he was fairly confident that's where the two of them were heading, but he hadn't exactly had a chance to talk with his partner yet. They hadn't even managed to kiss either. Feeling the pressure of the situation, he'd allowed himself to slip into his more sarcastic persona that came out when he was stressed.

"WHAT?!" Weiss nearly shrieked. Deciding they both needed to get out of the hall before they pushed their luck too far. Harry glanced at the room behind Weiss, and with a twist, he apparated in behind where she had been blocking the door. Ejecting his wand into his hand, he gave it a few waves, pulling the door closed and throwing up some quick privacy wards.

Weiss stumbled backward as the door closed, looking around wildly until her eyes settled on him. "H-h-how did you-?"

"It doesn't matter. All you need to know is that I'm here to get you out. I work with your sister for General Ironwood. We are to take you, collect Yang Xiao Long, and meet up with Ruby Rose, and the remainder of team JNPR who left for Mistral on foot several months ago."

"Ruby's walking to Mistral?" She asked her voice rising a few octaves. She seemed to shake herself out of it. "That doesn't matter I need to train before I go out there to help her." She looked around her own room before muttering to herself, "I haven't even started practicing my summoning anymore."

Harry sighed. "Listen, kid." He saw her puff herself in indignation when he said this but Harry pretended not to notice as he continued on, "This is happening now. I'm pretty sure your sister ran off to confront your old man herself. We're not going to get another chance to get you out of here and I'd be surprised if he doesn't beef up security after our little visit tonight."

Harry knew he'd probably taken the wrong approach to dealing with her, seeing as at her age, or even when he'd been younger, he'd hated it when adults treated him like a little kid. Still, to this day, he winced whenever he thought of his angst-filled fifth year, and all the brooding, shouting, and downright unpleasant ways he'd acted. It wasn't like he hadn't had a lot going on in his life at the time, with his parents' murderer being back from the dead, and dealing with Umbridge on a daily basis, but from what he'd seen and heard, Weiss wasn't really living the ideal life right now either. He'd apologize to her later, but for now, he just needed her to hurry up.

"She went to speak with father!" Harry couldn't help but wonder if this girl was just going to repeat everything he'd said. "B-but she hasn't talked to him in y-years."

"Well, that tends to happen when someone is banned from the grounds and is everything short of officially being disowned from the family."

"What?" Weiss' eyes had widened dramatically.

Harry cursed internally. It seems that Weiss didn't know all that. He'd assumed she had because it was her family, but who knows what lies her father had been spinning about what had happened.

"I-if that's true… she can't confront him!" Her voiced trembled slightly at the end. "She'd be trespassing. This could ruin her career. We need to go after her!"

She moved towards the door, but Harry put a hand on her shoulder stopping her. Weiss shot him a glare and moved away from his touch. "No, first we are going to get you ready to go. Trust me, there is nothing more that I want to do than go after your sister, but if I showed up without you packed and ready to go, she'd have my head. So, we aren't going to leave here until that has happened."

Weiss huffed, "Fine." Throwing open her closet, she dragged out a white suitcase with the Schnee family snowflake on the side, opening it up.

"We aren't going to be able to return to Atlas until all of this cools down, so pack everything you need to be away for a while. I'm not sure how welcome you'll be to return to the manor when you get back."

Weiss paused in what she was doing, seeming to steel herself. She grabbed a few items from her closet before hesitating and seeming to give into her frustration. "How could I possibly choose everything I'm going to need in just a few minutes, especially when I'll probably lose whatever I leave behind. Can I even fit everything I need in one bag?"

Harry sighed. A flick of his wand summoned the suitcase to him from Weiss' hand, causing her to yelp in surprise. Setting it on the floor, he closed it and tapped his wand on top. One colour changing charm later, had the bag looking a much more discreet black. Next, focusing intently on what he was doing, he began tracing runes of golden energy with his wand on top of the case. Once the sequence was completed as desired, Harry stopped, and the symbols flashed brightly before seeming to sink into the case and disappear as if they'd never existed in the first place.

Harry opened the case and was happy to see that the undetectable extension charm had taken effect. The insides of the suitcase were now much bigger than the outside. Another few flicks of his wand had all the clothes she'd been looking at raising into the air and flying into the suitcase where they disappeared from view. Once the closet was empty, Harry noticed the other case on her bed. Taking a quick look, he saw it seemed to be a case for her weapon. Shutting it, he moved to put in into the suitcase as well. It didn't look like it would fit normally, but as he expected, the entrance of the suitcase seemed to warp and stretch to the right size as it was sucked inside, only to return completely to normal once it had vanished from view. He shut it with a click, and picked it up with no effort, handing it off to the suddenly hesitant girl.

Seeing that it weighed nowhere close to what she expected, Weiss looked shocked. Harry opened his mouth to speak when Weiss beat him to it, "I know. I know. You'll explain it all later."

Harry smiled. "Let's get going then." Stepping out into the hall, Harry immediately glanced down at her feet when he heard the loud clopping of her heals. "Are you seriously going to wear those?"

"What's wrong with them?" She defended her shoes.

Harry rolled his eyes, "We're supposed to be stealthy. You'll wake the whole house up just by walking in those." Seeing she wasn't backing down, he sighed waving his hand over her shoes to cast a silencing charm on them. "Come on."

Taking a step, she seemed to notice right away the lack of sound. Harry watched in amusement how she decided to bring one foot down really hard on the floor, and it still made no sound.

"You better keep your promise and explain all this later," Weiss muttered just loud enough for him to hear.

Just as he was about to comment, and ask her to start leading their way down the hall to wherever she thought Winter might have confronted her father, they were interrupted by a shout. "HEY!"

"An intruder's kidnapped Miss Schnee!" Another voice yelled.

Spinning towards the source of the voices, a loud crack split the air, and then Harry felt something impact his arm. The whole limb seemed to go numb for a moment before it flared up as if on fire. Seeing two guards with guns drawn, it was only then that Harry realized he'd been shot in the arm. He'd been through a lot in his life… broken bones, a poisonous bite from a giant millennia old magical snake, almost having his soul sucked out by demon-like parasitical creatures, being hit by an unblockable killing curse several times yet living to tell about it, and now even traveling to a demon infested alternate dimension, but up until that moment, Harry had still managed to avoid getting shot. He wasn't enjoying the experience.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, Harry managed to grab his currently baton-like weapon. As it extended out into its full staff form, another crack split the air and more pain flared up, this time in one of his legs. Luckily his staff had finished transforming and he managed to slam into the ground for support as his injured leg buckled. With his adrenaline now pumping and his mind focused entirely on the fight, he managed to raise a spherical shield around the two of them.

Harry was lucky he did as shots from the two guards bounced off it harmlessly, with a third guard joining in from the other direction a moment later. He couldn't believe they were firing on him with Weiss right beside him. He was pretty sure it wouldn't be good for their careers to accidently kill their boss's daughter. They could've just been accounting for her aura, but somehow Harry didn't think so.

Suddenly, Weiss had stepped up beside him. Stabbing her rapier into the ground and unleashing a wave of ice down the hall, that hit the two guards, freezing them into a block. He was surprised by her display but didn't waste any time with turning around, leveling his staff at the single guard down the other way, and thrusting it forward. He unleashed a wave of force that picked up the surprised guard and slammed him into the far wall where he slid down presumably unconscious.

Feeling the sudden return of the pain of his own injuries, Harry slumped back against the wall until he reached the floor.

"Harry are you alrigh- Wait! You're bleeding! Don't you have any aura?" Weiss had just hurried to his side.

"Nah, don't need it." Looking down he noticed that he had been in fact been losing a fair amount of blood and that's what must have tipped her off. Fighting through the sudden fog that seemed to descend over his brain, Harry fumbled for his pouch, rooting around inside it until he found the familiar feeling bottle. Pulling out the Essence of Dittany, he fumbled with the cap before passing it to Weiss, his eyes feeling a bit heavy. "Use this."

Weiss seemed confused but she managed to uncap the bottle, "What? How?"

"Pour it," Harry mumbled as he motioned weakly towards his wounds. She seemed to catch on and moved to hover by his injured arm. As he slowly started to lose the battle with unconsciousness, the sharp sting of the potion hitting him jolted him back into awareness. It hurt like hell, but at the same time seemed to offer relief. To his confusion, Weiss stopped after the first bit. "Why'd you stop?"

"I-it's healing your wounds." She sounded amazed, staring at the bottle.

"Yes," he grit out, his arm and leg still throbbing. "I told you I'd explain it later. Can we continue please."

"But I can't! Even if this is healing you, the bullets are still in your body!" Weiss was starting to sound hysterical.

"Oh… that's all?" He was feeling more and more lightheaded, but he managed to slur out, "Accio bullets."

Harry would later remember that moment as one of the stupidest decisions of his life. He couldn't contain his scream as the two bullets were ripped back out his body from the force of his own magic, and landed in hand. He let them tumble to the ground.

"Are you an idiot? You could have made it worse!" She all but screeched.

"Dittany…" he motioned with his hand. She grabbed the bottle off the floor, her hand shaking slightly. Uncapping it again, she started pouring it on. He couldn't muster up the energy to tell her she didn't need to use that much.

Harry bit his lip to avoid crying out again, as the potion went to work, growing new flesh back into place. Once Weiss had finished, he just sat there for a moment gathering his strength. Reaching forward, despite the protestations of his body, he grabbed his Mokeskin pouch. It only took him a second to summon a blood replenishing potion to his hand. Draining it back, he felt a little bit of life return to his body. It was still taking almost everything he had to stay awake but he did feel a little bit better. Weiss was still hovering nearby looking nervous.

"Help me up. We need to find Winter and get out of here." Weiss looked reluctant to do so, but she did help him. As he got to his feet, Harry found himself swaying dangerously. His one leg felt incredibly tender, and he was starting wonder how he'd be able to make it back to their meeting point.

Another set of hurried footsteps started growing louder. Cursing their bad luck, Harry tried shifting his staff so that he could defend them, but that put most of his weight on Weiss which made it impossible for her to hold her weapon, let alone her belongings.

"Miss Schnee! Are you alright?"

"Klein!" Seeing her expression lighten up considerably, Harry took this as a good thing. "You've got to help us. Father's guards shot Harry. They even almost hit me!"

"Oh my." He hurried forward. "You're not looking too well." Harry resisted the urge to make a biting comment. "How do you know this man Weiss?"

"He's Winter's… uhh… her…," she didn't seem to know or want to answer that, but apparently, this Klein, who Harry believed was some sort of butler, picked up on what she was trying to say.

"I see."

"She's here too. I think she went to confront father." Weiss took a deep breath. "I'm leaving Klein. I'm going with Winter and Harry. I can't stay here anymore."

"I understand." He cupped her cheek gently. "You'll always be my little snowflake, but I know how much it would hurt you stay here any longer. You're just like Winter was all those years ago. Speaking of Winter, where are you to meet her."

Weiss turned to Harry expectantly as he tried to retrace his route there in his head. "Err… left here and then straight until you go down the big staircase. That's where she left me and said we'd meet after."

"Well, we better get moving then." Klein moved in and was quick to replace Weiss in holding him up. Gathering their belongings, the trio began moving down the hall. Weiss was quick to take the lead, her weapon raised in case they ran into any more guards, and probably because she didn't have to hobble along like he did.

To Harry's surprise, the butler didn't give the frozen guards even a second glance. He could only imagine what kind of crazy stuff he'd seen in his lifetime, especially with the two Huntresses that grew up here. After a few minutes, they finally reached the staircase. Looking down the steps was daunting, but he pushed himself onwards with Klein's support.

"I've known these girls ever since they were born… in a way you could probably say I played a big part in raising them." Klein's sudden conversation nearly made Harry jump. "So you're the one who finally captured young Winter's heart."

Harry almost tripped down the steps. Was this really happening? Was this butler giving him the cliched threatening father speech about Winter? Harry would like to say that he stayed calm, collected, and confident as Klein's eyes came to land on him, but sometimes things don't always work out the way one hopes. "I… well… I don't know I'd say… I guess..."

Klein waved away his stammering, making him shut up. They were about halfway down the staircase now. Weiss was at the bottom.

He smiled. "I was starting to worry Winter would never find anyone… but," Suddenly Klein's eyes legitimately turned red, making Harry freeze up for a second. "I wouldn't want to be the one who breaks her heart. You understand?"

Harry nodded, "Of course. I'd never want to hurt her and to tell you the truth, I don't think your warnings are necessary. If anyone were to hurt her, I'm pretty sure she'd be able to take care of them herself."

The man's face remained completely blank for a moment before it split into a huge grin. "I think you're right about that!" He laughed. "I've heard she's gotten into some pretty big fights with Qrow Branwen over the years. She's never been quite the same since he broke her heart several years ago."

For the second time during their talk, Klein saved him from dying by tripping. He held him steady as Harry tripped over his own feet.

"Qrow Branwen?" Harry squeaked out. Could it be? Was the man they were going to meet actually Winter's ex? The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Well… this mission was going to be awkward.

"Oh, you know him? I guess he is a famous Huntsman after all. I'm not sure how many know about them. I was the one she came to all upset, fresh out of Atlas Academy…" Harry ignored the last bit as he focused on getting down the last of the staircase.

He felt pretty embarrassed actually. He'd gotten overconfident with all his success on Remnant thus far and now he was paying for it. Leaving her room, he hadn't thought to put his cloak back on, he hadn't used any disillusionment charms, he hadn't even kept his wand out in his hand, let alone had his staff ready. He'd had his back to the enemy and by the time the gun had been fired, it had already been too late. His stupidity when trying to heal himself after wasn't helping his wounded pride either. What had he been thinking trying to summon the bullets out of his wound? Trying to vanish them probably would have been better.

"Winter!" He had just reached the bottom of the staircase where Weiss had been waiting when he'd her shout. He looked up to see Winter jogging out of the hall she'd disappeared into earlier. He was happy to see she looked fine.

She went straight to her sister. "Are you alright? I thought I heard-"

"I'm fine. It was Harry, he got shot." Her blue eyes immediately sought him out and widened as they took in his blood-soaked clothes.

Marching right towards him, she seemed to be looking for his injuries. "Are you alright?"

He tried for a smile. "I'm fine now."

"How did manage to get yourself shot? I didn't think father's guards would be much of a challenge."

His smile turned somewhat sheepish. "I was being a bit of an idiot."

"Obviously," she scowled before her hand came up as if to touch his cheek, but she pulled it away at the last second. "I'm glad you're ok."

The words sounded normal enough when she said them, but Harry couldn't help but pick up on the fire that seemed to burn in her eye as she did so. It spoke of some kind of desperation to her statement that made him think the thought of him being safe meant even more to her than she was letting on.

As Winter turned to Klein, Harry barely noticed that Weiss seemed to be watching his interaction with her sister through narrowed eyes. "Klein."

"It's good to see your again Miss Schnee."

"It's Winter, Klein. Always Winter for you."

The butler smiled, "Winter…"

Winter's own smile turned a bit more strained. "Would you mind not telling…" She trailed off.

He nodded. "I never saw a thing. I've been in the other end of the house all night."

"Thank you."

"It's no trouble, my dear." He helped shift part of Harry weight over to her. "Just make sure you all look after each other."

"We will." Both girls answered simultaneously, Weiss having just come up beside them.

"Thanks for the help getting down here."

Klein nodded to him, "It was no problem and was a pleasure to meet you." He gave him a significant look that Harry understood. He nodded back. "Good luck." Klein slipped down one of the many hallways leading from the intersection.

"How are we getting out of here?" Weiss asked.

"The same way we got in." Chuckling at her confused expression he continued, "Grab my arm."

"What?"

Sensing that Harry was going to leave out what exactly he was doing, Winter stepped in, "He's going to teleport us out of here, so you need to get a firm grip on his arm."

Harry gave her an exaggerated pout for ruining his fun making Winter roll her eyes. Weiss was now looking at him with even wider eyes, but she was thankfully still listening to his earlier command and holding all questions until later.

Harry hid his wince when Weiss grabbed his injured arm. Harry couldn't help but wonder if Dumbledore had to do the same thing all those years ago the first time he'd experienced apparition when they'd gone to visit Slughorn. He'd grabbed his cursed hand that night, and his headmaster had made it out to be no big deal. Harry had never imagined what he'd seen that night had been slowly killing the old wizard. Harry shook his head roughly to clear it. This was no time to take a stroll down memory lane.

Ignoring the throbbing of his injuries, Harry focused in on where they wanted to go. He pictured the interior of Winter's bullhead and where it was currently sitting near the trees at the bottom of that hill. Willing magic to take them where they needed to go, he twisted on the spot, and they disappeared from the mansion.

The moment Harry had apparated away, he knew that something had gone wrong. The pain in his injuries flared up to excruciating levels, and he felt as if he were being suffocated even more than usual. Keeping their destination in mind, he pooled all the rest of his concentration on keeping Weiss and Winter safe. Just when he thought they might not make it, it all ended and they popped back into existence.

The moment they landed, Weiss stumbled away, bent over and heaving. Harry couldn't pay her anymore attention as he felt his own legs give way beneath him. Luckily, it seemed that Winter had caught him.

"Harry… Harry!" She sounded panicked and yet to Harry it was is if she were calling from far away. He was suddenly feeling really lightheaded. "He's reopened his wounds!"

Struggling to look down, he saw a big gouge out of his flesh that was bleeding freely from where he'd earlier been healed. It took several moments longer than it should have to realize that he must have splinched himself. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to apparate them out of there when he'd just been injured. Memories of the many days Ron, Hermione, and he had been forced to travel by foot after Ron had been splinched after escaping the Ministry of Magic passed through his mind. It seemed he'd been making a lot of bad choices that night.

"Weiss I need the dittany."

"The what?"

"It's a little brown bottle in his ba- Oh shit!" She swore. "We won't be able to get into it." Her face swam into Harry's fading vision. It seemed she'd helped him onto the floor at some point. She looked a mess and her voice was starting to waver. "Harry… I'm going to need you to get the dittany out for us."

"It's no use Winter. The bottle's back at the mansion."

"What?!" She whipped around towards her sister looking panicked. "Why would you guys leave it there?"

"It was empty! I used it up on his wounds the first time." She defended.

"You didn't need to use the whole thing! It only takes a few drops!"

"I didn't know that! He wasn't exactly that coherent last time either." Weiss sounded upset, as she looked down at the man she barely knew. It was hard for her, she'd never seen her sister lose her cool like this before.

"Ok… Ok… it's going to be ok." Winter took a deep breath. "Harry… I… I'm going to try to unlock your aura. I know you're not sure what will happen if I do, but it's the only thing I can think of that might save you. Is that ok?"

Harry wanted to answer, but he was barely even able to comprehend what she was saying and he was losing the battle against unconsciousness.

"Harry… Harry?" He groaned once but that was it. "Ok… Here goes nothing." She stretched her hands out to his chest.

Harry was falling. He wasn't sure where he was anymore, he couldn't even feel his own body, but he somehow new he was falling. He wasn't able to pick up on any of his surroundings either, other than the never-ending darkness. Just as he was wondering when whatever this was, was going to end, he felt it. There was a warmth building in his chest, also making him realize he was suddenly able to feel his body again. It grew in strength and he found it soothing to his momentary panic. Just as suddenly, Harry could her voice. Clear as anything, it was beautiful and seemed to be radiating with the same warmth he was feeling internally.

 _For it is in passing that we achieve immortality._

 _It is with honour in our duty that we protect those we hold dear._

 _Through time unending, by my will, I release your soul, and with my heart as a shield, protect thee._

The warmth spread throughout his whole body. In a way, it felt like when he channeled magic through his body, but it felt much more familiar, like it was coming from inside of him, not cosmic energy from the universe. It was comforting, and he could feel the pains, that had started to return, fade away. His mind got heavy once again, and the last thing he saw in his mind's eye, before falling into a deep slumber, was Winter's beautiful blue eyes shining down at him with an indiscernible emotion.

* * *

Jaune fell back to the rear of their group with a sigh. He rolled his sore shoulders. He and Ruby had just switched off with Ren and Nora for carrying the injured Qrow on their makeshift stretcher. He hadn't thought things could get much worse after the fall of Beacon, but their world had just been flipped upside down again.

The missing member of their team was like a raw wound. The fact the Pyrrha was gone hit him anew each day like a sledgehammer to the stomach. Being on a mission to avenge her was the only thing that was keeping him going.

The sun was setting behind their backs, lighting up the sky in a variety of oranges, yellows, and reds. He knew he should find it beautiful, but the world had lost its colour to Jaune since that night… since the night he was too weak to save his partner's life. He honestly didn't know what the point of carrying on would be after he'd made that monster pay. Everyone would be better off without him… he was just a burden… just like he'd been on Pyrrha.

The name Cinder, even only when heard in his own head, stoked a fire in his belly that he couldn't put out. It was like a constantly simmering anger had overtaken him at all times. There were still moments though when it would seem like everything was alright… stolen seconds where he could forget that he had lost his whole world. Ruby was good for that… his first and best friend at Beacon. Even though he knew she was hurting too, she still managed to keep her bubbly and chipper personality up most of the time. He managed to play along with her, feeling lighter than he had in ages before something inevitably came up that reminded him of Pyrrha.

He still cursed himself every night for being the fool that he had been. He'd spent so long chasing after Weiss for no reason when it was so clear she wanted nothing to do with him. He had developed feelings for his partner after the dance, finally letting Weiss go, but he'd misinterpreted all the signals she'd been sending him. He didn't think there was any way that Pyrrha actually liked him too. He thought she was just being her normal, friendly self. She'd always been like that… so kind… so loving… truly as beautiful on the inside as she had been on the outside.

Jaune had finally started to clue in during the tournament and again, being the fool that he was, he decided not to do anything about it until it was over, so none of them would get distracted. That plan had gone to hell, and then she had kissed him… kissed him and then walked off to her death. It had been the most amazing moment of his life and it hadn't been until minutes later, still trapped in the rocket locker, that he'd realized that it had been her goodbye. She knew she wasn't likely to be coming back, and so she'd made sure to kiss him before she died. He hadn't even got the chance to tell her how he felt. She had gone off, with no one there to comfort her, and given her life, all alone, still not knowing that her partner loved her back.

The weeks following all of that had been dark. Jaune really didn't think he would have stopped himself from ending it then and there if Ren and Nora hadn't been watching him like a hawk. In the end, he was happy they had, he could now make sure her sacrifice wasn't in vain. He would end Cinder Fall if it was the last thing he did.

Jaune shivered. The temperature was dropping but that wasn't what did it. The back of his neck was prickling in that way it did when you just knew someone was watching you. Turning around he began scanning the horizon for anything unusual, only to freeze as he saw something impossible. He could make out the silhouette of someone standing in the distance, right in front of the setting sun… a silhouette he was all too familiar with. His breath caught in his throat as he looked over the shape of the tall figure, legs bound in the form of armor, their narrow waist, and most damning of all, the very distinguishable long ponytail.

Jaune's heart was hammering away in his chest, and his legs suddenly felt weak. He knew it wasn't possible, but she was right there in front of him. Had he died somehow without noticing? Cramming his own eyes closed, Jaune counted to three in his head before he opened them again to look. The horizon was clear. No one was there. The breath he'd been holding suddenly rushed out of him. He wasn't sure if he was relieved or disappointed it hadn't been real. Maybe he was going crazy.

"Jaune?" A small voice called out tentatively making him jump. "Are you alright?"

It was Ruby, looking up at him nervously. It was only then that Jaune realized he'd stopped walking and had been facing the wrong direction.

"I'm fine Ruby." Even to his own ears, his voice sounded dead. "Just got lost in my thoughts for a moment."

The young leader of the disbanded team RWBY twiddled her thumbs nervously for a moment as if wanting to say something more, before nodding and turning to catch up with Ren and Nora. Jaune followed at a quickened pace as well. It wouldn't do to let their group become separated.

They continued to walk down the path for a few minutes as the sun slipped ever farther over the horizon. Looking at Ruby's sickly Uncle in front of him, Jaune had to work to squash down his anger. After learning everything he had about the Maiden's and all of that, he couldn't help but lay some of the blame for what happened to Pyrrha at Qrow and Ozpin's feet. He knew it was irrational, but it was still there. When they'd realized he'd been poisoned by that crazy Faunus Tyrian, some dark corner of his mind had thought it was deserved. He'd pushed that away, not wanting Ruby to have to lose her Uncle, but the thought simmered away in his mind. Now they were hurrying across the countryside in what he was quickly considering to be a foolish hope of finding medical help.

"Ruby…" The voice rasped out weakly. It seemed Qrow had regained consciousness. The girl in question flashed over to his side in a flurry of rose petals.

"Uncle!" She grabbed his hand. "Are you ok? We're trying to make it to Mistral as fast as possible so we can get you a doctor. Just hang on!"

The middle-aged hunter coughed. "There's no time… you won't make it in time." He coughed again. "I need Raven… get my sister… she's the only one who can help."

Ruby looked frozen, her silver eyes going extremely wide. "B-but I don't know how… no one knows… even Yang… I…," she stammered.

"Use this." He pawed weakly at his chest, trying to reach in his shirt. Despite her shock, Ruby was quick to help. She managed to find whatever it was he was looking for and struggled to get it free. At first, all Jaune could see was some kind of chain around his neck, but a moment later, he saw it was a necklace. Ruby held a pendant of a black bird with jeweled red eyes in her open palm.

"How does this help?"

"Use… use…" he gasped in another breath, "aura." He coughed weakly.

"What? I don't-" Ruby began but Qrow had already gone unresponsive. Jaune was relieved to see he was still breathing. Ruby continued to stare down at the pendant looking lost.

"Ruby… who is his sister? What is this all about?" Nora asked.

"Uhh… Raven I think." She mumbled. "She's Yang's mom."

"I thought you and Yang were..." Ren began.

"We have different moms." She said quickly. Even Jaune hadn't known that. All he'd known was that Ruby's, and he'd assumed Yang's, mom was dead. This actually explained why the two girls looked so differently. "Raven disappeared after Yang was born. Raven, my mom, our dad, and Uncle Qrow were all on a team together at Beacon. My mom came by to help out with Yang and after a while, she got together with our dad. Then she had me." She looked away embarrassed.

"Ok." Jaune tried to move the conversation along. They could talk about it more later if she wanted. "So what are we supposed to with the pendant?"

"I don't know," Ruby mumbled. "He just said use aura."

"Maybe you should try channeling your aura into it?" Ren suggested.

"Oh… right." Ruby's cheeks flushed pink. "I'll try that."

Looking down at the necklace, she concentrated on what she wanted. For the first time in a long time, Jaune wanted to laugh, seeing how cute she looked with her brow all furrowed like that. Within a moment, Ruby's body began to glow a soft red, and another moment later, a little bit of her aura flowed into the necklace. When she stopped a minute later, the bird looked the exact same, though the jeweled eyes were still glowing crimson. Other than that nothing happened.

Just when Jaune was about to throw his hands up in frustration of another thing they couldn't do, they heard it behind them. All spinning at the ready they stopped dead in their tracks as they saw a swirling red and black energy start forming in the air. To Jaune, it almost looked as if a there was a tear in the very fabric of the universe. Then, as if things could get any weirder, they saw the last thing any of them expected. A woman stepped out of what they now realized was a portal. She had long black hair, burning red eyes, and wore a large Grimm mask.

* * *

 _ **A/N 2:**_ _I'm just going add this quickly at the end before I get a bunch of reviews complaining about how Harry, as powerful as I've written him, should not have gotten hurt by those guards. The reason I did so, is because things can't always go right for Harry. He's not perfect. He's had some pretty good luck so far on Remnant and that had to turn bad eventually. His injuries are a combination of bad luck, carelessness, and overconfidence. He will learn from this and hopefully grow as a character. Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I hope you enjoyed. Please leave me your thoughts in a review._

 _ **UPDATE:** I realized I wasn't very clear in my last A/N but what I meant to say is not that I made Harry get shot because I thought he needed some bad luck, since I was already planning on doing that, but that it was a combination of bad luck and his overconfidence that made what happened to him believable (at least in my opinion). This all went down only a few steps outside Weiss' room. It wasn't like he was just walking down the whole hall with her being completely careless, they'd just stepped out. Yes, Harry probably should have used the cloak before leaving the room... but that was one of his big mistakes. He rushed ahead, worried about leaving Winter on her own, and in the end paid the price for it. Anyway, I hope this clears things up for everyone, and even if you still don't agree with me, I hope it isn't enough to ruin the whole story for you. Thanks for all the comments I've received so far! All the critisism so far has been very respectful and I appreciate it. _


	10. Did Someone Order a Bullhead?

**Chapter 10**

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _Hey everyone. Finally finished my final exams for the year and got a chance to write this monster of a chapter for you all. I've said the same thing for the last couple updates, but I always seem to go into writing a chapter worried I won't have enough content and then each new chapter somehow seems to get even longer than the one previous._

 _As I expected, last chapter seemed to be just as polarizing as I thought it would be. Most of you seemed happy with what went down though so I'm glad to see that. Even those who had some criticisms voiced them all in a respectful manner, for the most part, so I also appreciate that as well._

 _Anyway, I hope this chapter is enjoyable for all of you. I have been thrilled by the number of reviews you have all been leaving as I love to read all of your thoughts on the story. Please keep that up. The amount of follow and favorites has also been staggering. I'm not sure how many of you noticed the weird bug on this site for past week that stopped all chapter notifications from being sent out. Luckily, it seems like that has been fixed, so you should all be getting a notification for this._

 _Sorry for long author's note, I'll shut up now. Please enjoy the chapter!_

* * *

 _ **Before the Escape**_

Winter moved quietly down the halls of her family's manor. She already felt guilty, an emotion she was not accustomed to, for leaving Harry behind. She knew to him, her actions most likely looked way out of character and completely unwise, but she had to make sure her father wouldn't cause them any trouble. Weiss had no idea the kind of man their father really was and while James did, he still underestimated Jacques Schnee most of the time. Winter didn't, and so she always took precautions to make sure the man couldn't screw her over.

She'd ducked out of the way of a few guards along her path, until finally her father's study door came into sight. She knew he'd still be up, especially this night, after the events that had transpired at the auction. Even with the closed door, she could picture him pacing back and forth, scheming on how to use this latest situation to his own advantage. Slipping across the hall, her hand closed around the cool metal of the door handle.

With quick and sure movements, she pulled the door open, slipped inside and pulled it shut behind her. Her father sat behind his large desk, a slight widening of his eyes the only indication of his surprise, and even that reaction was fleeting. Others might have thought they'd imagined any change in expression on his face at all. The two Schnees stared each other down in silence.

"Father." She sounded cool and clipped even to her own ears despite how she wished she could show him the disgust she felt.

He didn't say a word for a minute before finally sighing. "It seems the report I'd just received of the malfunctioning door lock wasn't a malfunction after all." The white haired man ever so slightly seemed to lean over to one side, his arm slipping under the desk to where Winter knew there was a panic button.

"Don't move!" The ring of metal on metal, as she freed her sabre, reverberated throughout the room, all the while she advanced on his desk. Freezing mid-movement, Jacques kept his eyes on the weapon as he slowly brought his hands up and placed them down flat on top of the desk.

"Still not above threatening family, I see," he snarked.

"I did learn from the best."

His eyes narrowed as he scrutinized his daughter but he didn't respond right away.

"I was under the impression from our… previous agreement… that you weren't going to enter the manor grounds?"

"Yes, well, there are some things we need to renegotiate."

He scoffed, "Spoken like a common thug." He steepled his fingers, "Tell me why I should renegotiate with you. You're already showing me that you won't honour your word. What's to stop you from coming back again and again. You gave up your claim to the company's earnings a long time ago."

"You know I don't want your money." She scowled. "I wouldn't take it even if you offered it to me." She leaned forward slightly over the desk, her voice growing quieter but no less deadly. "The reason you're going to renegotiate with me is the same reason you did in the first place. I know things about this company that could ruin you, and despite your attempts to bury them over the years since, you know I still could."

She straightened up, and gave her father a moment for her words to settle in. It seems they had hit their mark as his face twisted angrily. "What do you want?" He managed to spit out.

"Weiss." She said simply. "I'm taking her with me."

"That's out of the question!"

"No," she cut him off, "it's not. First, need I remind you that she is an adult anyway? Second, now that you've made Whitely your heir, you don't need her anyways. Don't try and kid yourself, you only want her here so you can continue to punish her for making you look bad."

"Oh? She managed to tell you that already has she?"

"Of course not! It was obvious. You're not as sly as you think. I've been waiting for this to happen for years. I knew Weiss' conscience would never allow her to be like you wanted her to be. That's why I'll be taking her, and if you don't want certain information made available to the public, you won't be sending anyone after us either."

They descended into silence again for a moment while, Jacque's face flashed through a multitude of expressions, before finally settling down on a more neutral look. "I think I've underestimated you all these years. You would've made the perfect heiress to this family. You're just as ruthless as I am." He grinned creepily at the last part, while Winter couldn't contain the small shudder at the thought of being compared to her father. "I'll agree to your terms… as long as you keep up your side like before, Weiss included. She'll be back soon enough on her own anyway. She has been much more reliant on our lifestyle than you ever were. Even in her time at Beacon, it was only the allowance I gave her that kept her comfortable. She'll see soon enough what it's like out in the real world without my support."

Winter was about to retort on her sister's behalf when the silence of the house was broken by the crack of several distant gunshots. Spinning around towards the direction from which they'd come, it only took Winter an instant to realize it had been in the direction of Weiss' room. Her chest tightened in panic as the thoughts of either Weiss or Harry on the receiving ends of those attacks.

"I see the guards within the manor are now armed too." Winter stated accusingly as she looked back at her father.

He shrugged noncommittally. "As your fool of a General is so fond of pointing out, we are living in dangerous times." Winter bristled at the insult towards her superior. "I will say I'm surprised you brought someone else with you. Who is it? I doubt Ironwood would risk coming himself."

Ignoring him, Winter turned towards the door again, and moved to exit. "Winter." She would have just ignored him, but something about her father's tone made her stop. She looked back over her shoulder. "Do not come to me making demands again. I will not be blackmailed into doing your bidding. If you get the bright idea to try this again, save yourself the trip and just release what you will, but know this, if you intend to bring me down, I will make sure to take you and your sister with me."

There was a million things Winter wished she could say in that moment, but none of them would help her sister or Harry. Taking a deep breath she was able to calm her raging emotions. She slipped out of the the room without so much as a single word or backwards glance. Deciding on the best path back towards where she'd come from, Winter set off, praying that no one was hurt.

* * *

 _ **After the Escape**_

Winter watched worriedly as Harry seemed to relax. The emerald coloured aura that had briefly flared around his body fading away. His bleeding had stopped and the ghastly wounds that had appeared on his body, upon their arrival in the bullhead, were slowly healing before her very eyes. It seemed it had worked. She still hadn't understood why Harry had been so adamant about not unlocking his aura beforehand but every time she and James had asked him he had declined. She hoped he wasn't too angry when he woke up, but it was the only way she'd known how to save him.

"Winter! What is going on?" The sudden question startled her and she spun around to see her sister giving her a serious look, hands planted on her hips in a ridiculous manner. If Harry's drying blood weren't covering Weiss' clothes, reminding her of what had just transpired, she might have laughed.

Winter glanced back at her unconscious partner. "Just give me a moment Weiss."

As she crossed the room, she heard Weiss huff behind her, muttering something she couldn't hear under her breath. Opening and reaching into one of the storage containers, she found a rolled up sleeping bag and pad. They were always stored in there as standard gear, seeing as she never knew when she'd be on a mission that needed it.

Yanking them free, she crossed back over to Harry's side, laying out the items she'd grabbed. It took her a few minutes, and a little bit of effort but she managed to get Harry off the floor and onto the mat. Getting him into the sleeping bag was harder but she managed it without much fuss. She knew, from personal experience, that the pad wasn't very comfortable, but it would be better than the floor.

Making sure everything was set, Winter climbed back to her feet, looking back over at Weiss. "You might want to change into some fresh clothes before we leave."

To her confusion, her sister only looked down at her black suitcase with a bit of apprehension. "You did pack clothes right?" Winter rubbed her forehead already feeling a headache coming on.

"Of course I did!" Weiss sounded offended. "I just couldn't decide what to take so he," she jabbed her finger in Harry's direction, "put my whole closet in here. I- I don't understand how…" Weiss poked the suitcase gently before flinching as if expecting it suddenly explode.

Winter sighed. That sounded exactly like something Harry would do. Crossing the distance between them, she took the case out of her sister's hand, and set it down sideways on the floor. Weiss was still watching it wearily. Flipping open the latch she opened the lid and looked within. Much like she had expected, the interior of the case looked to be many times larger than it was supposed to. She could see all of her sister's clothes, among other possessions, stacked neatly inside.

"See." Winter said tiredly, motioning towards the case.

Weiss shuffled a few feet closer to look inside. Winter knew she had a clear view when she heard her gasp in shock. "But that's impossible!"

"Obviously not," she answered dryly. "The proof is right in front of you."

Her sister floundered for a moment before regaining her poise, "But how did he do it? I've never seen a semblance like that and it couldn't have been a semblance anyway, you only just unlocked his aura now!"

Winter contemplated channeling Harry for moment and just saying something annoying like 'it's magic' but quickly decided against it. She knew that would just open up even more questions, things she did not want to have to answer on her own, so she went with something a bit more mundane, "It's complicated."

"What kind of answer is that? 'It's complicated.' Really? Can't you just tell me?"

"I… well… it's complicated."

"Argh!" Weiss stomped her foot. Winter had forgotten how funny her sister's little temper tantrums were. "Fine don't tell me."

She reached inside the case and pulled out some clothes for her sister before tossing them to her. "Are you going to get changed or not?"

Weiss managed to grab them but was soon stuttering all over again. "I can't change! He's right there."

Winter rolled her eyes, "Harry's unconscious if you hadn't noticed, but we can go up to the cockpit if you'd like."

Weiss nodded, moving towards the door. Winter closed her sister's suitcase and picked it up. Before following her into the cockpit, she stopped to look at Harry's now peaceful form. The night's events were making her feel off kilter. Being in the military, she'd dealt with her fair share of death and danger, but none of it had ever gotten to her like Harry's close call had. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so out of control of what was going on. It wasn't a feeling she enjoyed and her first instinct was to pull away from it, but she knew she couldn't do that. Somehow over the short time she'd known him, Harry had become much more dear to her than she'd ever intended him to be.

She hadn't had a chance to think on it earlier, being much to preoccupied with her sister's wellbeing, but now that they had escaped, the events from earlier that night were coming rushing back in. After all the amazing powers and abilities her partner had shown since he'd saved her, she truly had not thought he could surprise her any more, but he had swept her off her feet once again anyway with what he had planned. Winter had not had any romantic inclinations towards anyone since the disaster with that bastard Qrow, several years before, and now she couldn't stop thinking about what had almost happened earlier that night.

Sighing, Winter turned away from Harry to go get the bullhead started, only to see Weiss watching her from through the doorway. Her sister was looking between her and Harry with an unreadable expression on her face. Knowing Weiss, she could only imagine the pestering she was about to undergo. Continuing on her way, she stepped into the front of the vessel, moving passed Weiss. She noted that her sister had taken her advice and changed into a new clothes, her stained ones sitting on one of the seats. She figured she ought to talk to her about maybe finding something to wear other than a dress for combat.

Sliding into the main seat, Winter busied herself with powering everything on and getting ready for departure. She may have made a deal with her father, but she didn't want to stick around here longer than necessary. Harry's injuries had already kept them grounded for longer than she'd anticipated.

As the bullhead began to rumble to life, Winter spotted her sister sitting down daintily in the chair next to her from the corner of her eye. She would have rolled her eyes at her behaviour but Winter knew she was partially responsible for it. With both their father's and the public's attention on their family, she'd always been one to drill into Weiss how to act respectably. It's something she'd perfected herself, and had wanted to pass on to her sibling so that she didn't embarrass herself in public. She was only realizing now that she might have pushed it a bit too far. Winter herself, while trying her best to appear perfect to the outside world, knew how to relax when on her own. It was one of the reason's some of Harry's behaviours didn't bug her nearly as much as she liked to let on, but if her sister's mannerisms were any indication, she wasn't sure if Weiss ever relaxed her behaviours.

"You can relax Weiss." She commented, pulling up on the controls, in turn increasing the thrust output and pushing them into the air. She'd already preloaded the coordinates of their destination, so it only took a few taps on the console for the onboard flight control to take over.

"What?" Looking to her sister, she met with a confused stare.

"Father isn't here. There's no reporters here. It's just the two of us. You don't need to worry about you're mannerisms right now." Weiss was staring at her, eyes wide. "I can still see you're sitting there as stiff as a board. Just know you can relax if you want to."

She was silent for a minute before she finally spoke. "You've changed so much…"

"I really haven't. I've just recently realized I may have been too hard on you growing up. I had the best of intentions, but I fear I may have just reaffirmed everything father was trying to instill in you. No one should have to act so perfectly, especially around family." She gave her a sad smile. "I hope you don't resent me too much."

Weiss still looked shocked, but ever so slowly she did release some of the tension out of her rigid posture. "I could never resent you Winter. You're the only… real family I have…" The younger sibling looked away slightly embarrassed, but Winter felt a warmth blooming within her chest at the sentiment.

"I've always felt the same way." Winter could see a slight pinkening of her cheeks at her statement, but she ignored it for now. They both looked out the window, as they moved away from the bright lights of Atlas and towards the Kingdom's borders. It was only seeing a slight lightening to the east that made her realize that they'd been up for most of the night. She was going to break the silence to suggest that Weiss try to get some sleep when her sister beat her to it.

"Despite what you said, you do seem different though…" Winter turned towards her questioningly. She knew that opening up about her past to Harry had helped her a bit but she didn't really feel that different. Weiss was chewing her lip nervously, as if hesitating to say something. "It's because of him isn't it?"

Winter wasn't quite sure how her sister had meant the question to come across but it sounded somewhat accusing to her. "I... what do you... Harry?"

She was at a loss. Had her association with Harry really had that much of an impact on her in such a short amount of time? "He was telling the truth?" Weiss nearly shrieked. "He said he was your boyfriend!"

Winter froze, her racing thoughts suddenly derailing completely. "He said what?" She idly observed that her own voice had started to raise in pitch similar to her sister. She had no idea what to think. Most of her mind was indignantly screaming at her about how presumptuous he'd been when talking to Weiss, while a smaller more traitorous part seemed to almost be… preening… with this new information.

"Oh good, so he was lying." Weiss, obviously taking her older sister's response as a negation of that fact. She sounded relieved.

"I… well… it's complicated." Winter admitted, feeling her own cheeks heat up against her will. Though they hadn't aven talked about it yet, her sister's words had dragged her mind back towards her almost kiss with Harry, and she just couldn't find it in herself to deny what she'd said.

"So it's true?" Weiss sounded shocked, before continuing weakly. "But, he's so… you know…"

"Hey!" Winter responded crossly. "You don't even know him."

"You're defending him!" Weiss was nearly bouncing in her seat now.

"So?" she answered quickly.

"You must like him. I've never heard you talk about someone like that!"

Winter was mortified. She still hadn't had a chance to talk to Harry about any of this, let alone had a chance to really think it over herself. She didn't want to let herself get all excited yet, he could have been just teasing her sister for all she knew. She knew he enjoyed trying get her all worked up, and Weiss was the perfect target for that kind of behaviour.

"Yes, well, how about you? Anyone special caught your eye, little sister?" She teased hoping it would be a enough to divert the attention away from herself. It worked better than she expected, if Weiss' bright red face was any indication. This would be good. "Hmmm… it seems so. I know there was a dance at Beacon before the start of the festival. Did you perhaps have a date to that?"

To Winter's surprise, her sister's embarrassment seem to fade with the question. "I did attend the dance with a boy named Neptune from Haven Academy. I thought I might be interested in him." Weiss suddenly coughed lightly looking away, a bit of her blush returning, "but I don't think it's going to work out."

Winter found this very interesting. She took her sister's words to mean there was someone else she was interested in. She didn't push any further but she wasn't going to completely let it go. What kind of big sister would she be if she didn't thoroughly investigate this boy first.

There conversation lulled into silence again. They were beyond the borders of Atlas now, and were heading out over the ocean. Soon enough she knew the sun would be rising over the horizon, and anticipation was already growing inside her. The most beautiful sunrises she'd ever seen had always been over the ocean.

"So where are we going?" Weiss spoke up a few minutes later.

"Did Harry not tell you?" She asked. "We're going to Patch."

"We're actually going to get Yang?" Her sister's voice brightened before dimming slightly as she once again started to look nervous. "It's true then… that Ruby left with Jaune, Ren, and Nora to walk to Mistral?"

Winter gave her a sidelong glance, "As far as I know, yes that's correct."

Weiss started wringing her hands nervously as she started to mutter, "I don't what she was thinking… walking all the way to Mistral… of all the foolish things to do…"

"You're close with your partner than?" Winter cut her off, thinking back to the awkward red and black clad girl she'd met only the once.

"I… of course!" Weiss stammered. "She can be such a dolt sometimes though… at first I thought Ozpin had made a mistake naming her leader… she seemed so annoying, but I know now he made the best choice." Weiss flushed deep red for the second time that night, "That doesn't mean she can't be stupid sometimes! Like this… rushing off across Remnant on her own… without me!" And she was off rambling again.

Despite the hard time she was having following her sister's speech, Winter was starting to get a good idea of what was going on. Maybe she didn't have to worry any future boyfriends for her sister after all.

"I just hope she's ok! It'll be good to see her again..." Weiss' monologue finally came to a close as she gave out a big yawn. Winter couldn't stop herself from chuckling at her behaviour. She'd make sure to get in some good natured teasing later, but for now she'd leave her be.

"We're going to be flying for a while, why don't you try to get some shut eye."

"I'm fine," she protested feebly, the following yawn not doing much to lend credibility to her statement. Giving her a smirk, Weiss grumbled lowly in reply, but still curled up as comfortably as she could in the Bullhead's big seat.

She heard her sister's breathing slow a few moments later. "Sweet dreams Weiss," she whispered, continuing to stare out at the unbroken horizon.

* * *

"So where are you going?" That question. It seemed innocent enough, but Yang knew it was more important than that. Ever since she had lost the only mother she had ever known, Summer Rose, and learned the truth about Raven Branwen, she had been obsessed with finding her. It was no slight intended on Summer, she loved and missed her dearly even to this day, but back then she'd thought if she could only find Raven, things in her family could back to normal. Yang no longer had any illusions about that coming to pass but she had realized by that point that she needed answers. She needed to know why her mother had abandoned her or she would never being able to let it rest.

After the disaster that she'd caused that had almost gotten Ruby killed all those years earlier, she'd done her best to focus on her sister's wellbeing. The guilt for what she'd almost caused had been crushing, and she'd been quick to realize how much more important her present family members were than the missing one. That being said, she hadn't given up her search, she'd just tried to keep it on the down low, but based on the questions her father had just asked her, she had never fooled him.

Despite knowing what the right decision was, letting go of this chance, after waiting for so many years, stung. Looking down at the ground, she kicked her toe into the dirt, causing a small cloud to raise in the air. She took a deep breath, raising her head back up, yet avoiding her dad's gaze. She couldn't make herself look him the eye while she was still contemplating her answer, so instead she looked at the garage around her.

The walls were wooden, just like their house, even if it would be hard to tell, covered as it was with numerous drawings and other schematics for weapon ideas Ruby had come up with over the years. On the ground, several tables were pushed up against one wall, and her motorcycle rested in the other corner. This room was one of the things that had remained virtually unchanged since their childhood, inclusion of her bike notwithstanding, so much so that Yang would not have been surprised if her sister were to suddenly come skipping in the door to start her latest modifications on her scythe, Crescent Rose.

Yang felt her heart clench painfully as that vision of her sister seemed to shatter before her eyes. Wallowing in her own suffering, she had liked to romanticise Ruby's ability to go off on an adventure while she was stuck, in bed, missing her lost limb. She knew Ruby's trip was probably anything but a fairy tail, but that had not helped at all. It had left her feeling bitter for months after Ruby had departed, and only now was she realizing just how much she missed her. She missed all her team actually. Unsurprisingly her partner was the first on her mind, but she even longed to hear another rant from the always straight laced Heiress. It was because of this that she knew what she had to do.

Shifting her amethyst eyes to finally meet her father's blue ones she replied, "I think you already know where I'm going."

"You're going after your sister."

"Ruby comes first," she affirmed. A comfortable weight almost seemed to settle on her shoulders. She was a big sister, she always would be, and there was nothing she would rather be.

Taiyang gave a relieved smile. "Thank you Yang. You're a good sister. I know you picked up a lot of the slack after…" Tai swallowed past a lump in his throat, "Summer died. It wasn't fair of you to have to give up so much of your own childhood to do that, but you did it anyway. You… I…," he sighed, "just know I'm proud of you."

Yang felt her own eyes grow a bit moist and her father's forthright praise, but she managed to keep it together. "Thanks dad." He smiled at her warmly.

Turning back to her pride and joy, Bumblebee, she placed her hands, one natural and the other her new robotic prosthetic, on the handle bars. Giving a push, she began to walk her motorcycle out of the garage into the noon sun, her father following behind. She stopped in front of the house.

"You're sure you want to do this?" Tai's voice suddenly sounded hesitant. "You're ready? Do you at least have enough-"

"I'm fine dad." Yang cut him off as she rolled her eyes. "I guess I was right about every father figure only knowing the same five lines…" She trailed off when she noticed he was no longer paying attention. Tai was staring to the sky behind her with a frown on his face. "What is it dad?"

He didn't answer for a second. "Do you hear that?"

"What?" She spun around to face the direction he was looking, but didn't see anything. She didn't hear anything either. "I don't hea-" Suddenly she stopped. On the edge of her hearing, she finally picked up on the faint noise. She stood there in silence, listening the slowly growing noise, not understanding what it was.

It was not until the large white shape flew over the cover of the treeline that she realized she had been hearing a bullheads engine. As it was, she understood why her father had been nervous. They rarely got bullheads this deep into patch, the only spot they stopped was in town on the coast, if they arrived at all. Most took a ferry to the mainland instead. She readied Ember Celica on both wrists for the first time since the fall of Beacon. The familiar click of her ammunition, acting like the greeting of a long lost friend.

As the white vehicle lowered itself into their front yard, Yang relaxed her stance. Two symbols stood out on the side of the craft. One of the them matching the box her robotic arm had come in, the symbol of Atlas, and the other a very familiar snowflake. She wasn't sure how or why she was here, but Yang couldn't fight the sudden grin that was stretching across her face. Starting with Weiss, it seemed her team was coming back together.

* * *

The first thing Harry noticed as he came to, were the small vibrations of the floor below him. Stretching his senses outwards, he was shocked to be unable to sense the energies of the ground beneath him. Eyes snapping open, he glanced around him, only to realize a few moments later that he was in the storage area of Winter's bullhead. He was met with resistance as he attempted to sit up, noting that he had been zipped into a sleeping bag. Confused, he unzipped himself and clamored to his feet. Only then did he start to notice his torn clothing, and all the dried blood on his arm.

Suddenly, memories of the night before slammed into his consciousness, making him stagger. Enforcing his occlumency training, he managed to calm himself down, but he was still quick to check out his injuries. He'd lived with the miracles of magical medicine for years now, but even he was surprised to see his skin looking whole. He had thought even with the Essence of Dittany, it would have taken longer to heal completely.

Wanting to get clean, he waved his hand over the areas where his spilt blood was caked on, but nothing happened. Furrowing his brow, Harry concentrated on what he wanted and waved his hand over it once again. There was a tingling in his palm and he suddenly saw his hand outlined in emerald green. That was enough to break his concentration and both the colour as well as the sensation faded away. Harry had only seen something similar a few times before, when someone here from Remnant was using their aura.

Fighting against the panic that was starting to claw its way up his chest, Harry ejected his wand from it's holster. Repeating the process from before, this time with his wand, and speaking the incantation out loud, he got results, though not what he had hoped. At first, as the green colour flared up around his arm once again, Harry felt a resistance over his control on magic. Fighting through that feeling, as if a dam had burst, the spell suddenly took effect, though the feeling of having his skin cleaned with steel wool was a clear indication that he'd put too much power into it. Wincing, Harry rolled his shoulder, while glancing at the irritated skin. He proceeded to use his magic to clean the rest of his body, though each time he attempted to cast his aura would flare up as well, as if trying to block his connection to his magic. The more frustrated he got, the harder his task seemed to grow. Eventually, he finished his job and even managed to repair his clothes.

It took him a few minutes of deep breathing to bring himself back to a calm state of mind. He couldn't remember what had happened after apparating back to the bullhead, but Winter had obviously had a reason to need to attempt unlocking his aura. The very idea that this might interfere with his ability to practice magic was horrifying to him. He wasn't angry with Winter persay, but he could feel his own frustration and fear raging beneath the surface of his mind. Pushing that down as far as he could, Harry sighed, before moving towards the cockpit.

Entering through the door, Harry had to shield his eyes for a moment from the brightness of the rising sun through the front window. As his eyes adjusted, he glanced around the room, spotting Weiss half-curled up in one of the chairs, and Winter warily looking up at his arrival. She looked tired and he figured she hadn't got any sleep yet since the night before. He strode over quietly.

"Hey."

"Hey," she replied softly, before biting her lip looking nervous. It was such a foreign look on the famously calm and collected Winter Schnee that it took him aback for a moment, but it wasn't hard for him to figure out her thoughts.

"You unlocked my aura?" He said it without emotion, but it was clear to both of them it was a question.

"She nodded tentatively, "I- I'm sorry… you were bleeding out on the floor. Weiss had used up all of your Dittany in the mansion and I didn't know what else to do. You were going to die if I didn't do anything."

"Oh." Harry figured that was a pretty good reason. He had been in tonnes of life threatening situations before but, for some reason, this one hit him differently. He wasn't sure why, but the idea of bleeding out, dying while unconscious chilled him. Before he had always been awake, able to fight back against whatever sought to take his life. It made him feel helpless. He let out a measured breath, "I see. I guess I should thank you than. You saved my life."

Winter looked somewhat startled as if she had been expecting him to yell at her but she recovered quickly. "Yes… well… you've already done the same for me before." She cleared her throat, "So there were no… problems then? You were worried that unlocking your aura might not react the same to you as it does for us?"

Harry froze. His troubles at casting his magic a few minutes earlier were at the tip of his tongue, but for some reason he didn't want her to know. He was useless without his magic, and he couldn't help but fear that he would be left behind if she knew what was going on.

Forcing a smile he told her, "It's all good." She exhaled in what he assumed was relief, though she still looked a bit nervous so for extra reassurance he gave her shoulder a quick squeeze, surprised by the tension she seemed to be carrying there. Seeing the shadows under her eyes, he was once again reminded of her lack of sleep. "Do you want to get some sleep? I can watch over the console. It's on auto pilot anyway right?"

Winter glanced over the controls uneasily, but the longing look that crossed her face at his suggestion, showed to him that she found it appealing. "I'd love to Harry, but I'm quite certain you don't know how to operate the bullhead if something went wrong."

"No, I don't, but I think I would be able to wake you in time if that happened."

Winter glanced back and forth between the controls and Harry a few times, but it was a losing battle for her after letting out a big yawn. "Fine, I'll try and get some rest, but you better wake me up the second something happens."

"Yes ma'am." He gave her a mock salute.

The only reprimand he received was a small narrowing of her eyes as she stood and passed him by. He took her seat, while she moved into one of the other seats in the row behind. Swinging her long legs up over the one side, she reclined back and shut her eyes. Harry wasn't sure what standard bullheads were like, but this one actually seemed pretty large for a few person vehicle. The Cockpit had the two main seats up at the front near the controls. There were a few more seats in a row behind that and a bench on either wall. On top of that, there was the whole cargo area behind. It wouldn't surprise him if this was considered top of the line.

Leaning back a bit himself, Harry watched the scenery out the window. They were flying mostly over water, though he could see the coast of some landmass below them. It looked somewhat familiar to him which would make sense, since flying to Patch was taking them along an almost identical flightpath to Beacon.

Closing his eyes for a moment, he began reaching down to feel inside of himself. It didn't take him long to locate what he assumed was the feeling of his aura. To his dismay, every time he tried to grab control of it, it seemed to slip through his fingers. It was a strange feeling to him, so similar to magic and yet, at the same time, so different. After several minutes of this he couldn't help but start cursing his aura in his head. Why did he have to be so careless? If he had never got injured, Winter never would have been forced to unlock it. Now, he couldn't control it and even worse, it seemed hellbent on stopping him from using magic. He was starting to hate what this world was doing to him. At least Earth, with all its faults, had never stripped him of his magic. Shaking those thoughts aside before he could spiral out of control, Harry began meditating. He had no other way to pass the time, so he let his mind wander freely.

After a while, he wasn't sure how long, could have been minutes, could have been hours, Harry heard something stirring beside him. Opening his eyes, he saw Weiss starting to shift around. A moment later she raised her head, her tired eyes blinking at him in confusion. "Morning. Or rather almost afternoon I suppose. Not quite sure what time it is actually." He looked around for a clock.

She blinked a few more times before shaking her head rapidly as if clearing cobwebs away. "Where's W-" Harry jerked his thumb over his shoulder. Weiss' gaze followed to where he was indicating. "Oh."

"Have a good sleep?"

"Not really…" she grumbled something under her breath. Harry found it quite amusing how she kept peeking at him only look away when he met her gaze. It seemed she still didn't seem too thrilled with him. As soon as that thought entered his mind, the manner in which he had introduced himself the night before flashed through his mind, making him pale. He really hoped she hadn't told her sister that he had called himself her boyfriend. "How far are we from patch?" She asked finally deciding to take the initiative in their conversation.

"Oh I'm not sure." He shrugged sheepishly, "I don't really know how to fly this thing. I'm just watching to make sure nothing goes wrong. If it does than I can wake your sister."

Weiss' eyes had widened dramatically and the pitch of her voice rose at her seeming panic, "You don't know how to fly?"

"Shhhhh!" But it was too late. Harry could hear Winter stirring behind them. At least she had gotten some sleep.

"What's going on?" Her voice sounded groggy, but within seconds she was sitting upright, eyes keenly scanning their surroundings for danger.

"We're all good Winter." Harry smiled. She relaxed slightly, her eyes traveling to her sister who was also awake. Weiss blushed under her sister's gaze, giving herself away.

"Is something the matter Weiss?"

She quailed under her older sister's gaze before finally breaking. "He doesn't know how to fly a bullhead!"

If Harry had looked away from Weiss, he would have noticed that Winter had raised a single eyebrow at the same time he had. "I don't see him flying, so I'm not sure what the problem is."

"B-b-but he was watching over it while we slept!"

"And…?"

"What if there had been a problem?"

"He would have woken me," Winter replied calmly.

"But what if there wasn't time? We all could have died!"

"Even if that was the case, I have full confidence that Harry would have kept us alive."

Harry's amused smile faltered slightly at that comment, thinking about his now finicky grasp on magic, but he managed to keep it up as Weiss replied, "Because of his semblance? The teleportation? But what about earlier, I was sure he was using telekinesis."

Winter, who had moved over behind him, tapped him on the shoulder. "How about we switch and you can handle this?"

"Great, leave all the explanations to me," he grumbled jokingly as he stood and moved out of the way. The oldest Schnee sister just smirked as she moved passed him and into her seat.

Harry seated himself in his earlier chair, luckily in view of the increasingly impatient Weiss. "So?"

"I'll try to explain it to you the best I can, but I'll warn you it can be compli-"

"For dusts sake, if I hear one of you say 'It's complicated' one more time, you'll find yourself skewered to the wall with Myrtenaster."

Harry glanced over at their pilot, only to see her lips twitch upward for a moment. He wasn't sure where Weiss' outburst had come from, but he had a feeling Winter was the reason. "I guess I'll just have to uncomplicate it then." Harry smiled, "Weiss, do you believe in magic?"

The cockpit fell into silence before Weiss finally scoffed, "Magic? Of course not! I'm a firm believer in scientific fact. Magic is the stuff of children's fairy tales."

"But those fairy tales have to have come from somewhere?"

Weiss responded quickly but was less patronizing than he was expecting, "Of course they do, but they were only made as a way to explain things people didn't understand. Before all the advances we've made in our research, everyday people couldn't understand why certain things would happen, so they made up gods or magic to explain it away."

Harry sighed. He'd had these types of conversations before, and people like Weiss were always the hardest to convince. He figured it would be even harder on Remnant when things like semblances were an everyday occurrence.

"That's true for some things, but I assure you, it's not for all. Magic is-"

"We're coming up on Patch," Winter's announcement cut through the beginnings of Harry's explanation.

"Really?" Weiss moved out of her seat and was now standing beside her sister, showing much more excitement than he had seen from her so far.

"We should be arriving in a few moments."

Realizing that he'd completely lost the younger Schnee's attention, Harry joined them in looking out the window. A landmass was clearly visible to them and growing closer by the second. It was a fairly large island, large enough that you'd need to be in the air to realize it wasn't a part of the main landmass. From the direction they were approaching, a medium sized town was the first thing they could see. It was obvious that it was the main point of contact between the island and the rest of Vale because of its large port and what looked to be a regular ferry.

Just as these thoughts were running through his head, Winter began to veer to the one side, away from the town completely. "Are we not landing in town?" He asked.

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, "No, I'm going to take us right to the Xiao-Long residence. Patch doesn't have many official places for bullheads to land, hence the use of the ferry. Our use of such a landing pad would only draw too much unwanted attention. Just flying in this area has probably been noticed by a fair amount of people."

"Is there enough room to land where we're going?"

"From what I understand, they live fairly far outside the village. There should be space, otherwise we'll have to find a free field as close as we can."

"Ruby and Yang did say they lived away from most of the other residents of Patch," Weiss commented. "I think Yang mentioned it was built there so their father's training wouldn't disturb anyone."

Soon enough they had crossed over the shore and were moving over the land. Deftly navigating the controls, Winter brought down their speed and lowered them so they were skimming over the tops of the trees.

"Are those farms?" Harry asked peering out the one side.

"I believe so," Weiss answered. "Patch is mostly covered by forest but most of the fruit and vegetables we got in Vale were grown here. There isn't much room for livestock though, so most of that is done closer to the city."

The open fields vanished behind them as they once again were flying over a densely populated forest.

"It's a good thing Grimm don't hunt animals for sustenance or the Kingdom would have to be a lot more worried about defending their animal farms as well," Winter added.

"The only thing Grimm hunger for is magic, something intrinsically linked to the emotions of intelligent animals, even those who can't use it themselves," Harry explained without thinking.

"What?" Weiss turned to him looking at him like he was crazy.

"Here we are," Winter distracted them both once again. A large break in the trees was visible before them, and before long a full clearing came into view. Sat right in the middle was what Harry would describe as a large log cabin style house. Situated as it was in the forest, he was more tempted to call it a vacation spot or cottage. If you weren't one for the hustle and bustle of a big city, this would be great place to live.

Luckily for them, the clearing was more than big enough to accommodate them. As Winter began to set them down, Harry was quick to notice the two people watching from the front of the house near a yellow and orange coloured motorcycle. With small bump, they were on the ground and he had to grab the back of Winter's seat to keep his balance. Weiss had no such qualms and started moving towards the exit as quickly as she could while still keeping up her regular poise.

Winter checked over a few things before flipping a couple switches, causing the bullhead to power down around them. He waited for her to finish before they both followed after Weiss. To his surprise, as they both walked down the ramp, Harry was greeted with the sight of the seemingly reserved Schnee hugging a slightly taller blonde girl.

The girl in question, who he assumed to be Yang Xiao-Long, was wearing a pair of tall brown boots, form fitting black pants, a body length brown jacket that split into two tails below her waist, a tight orange shirt, and dark tinted aviator shades. It was quite the outfit, and Harry was still impressed by the distinctive persona each Huntsman and Huntress he met seemed to create.

"Miss Schnee I presume?" Harry tore his eyes away from the two chatting teammates. A tall man, with blonde hair to match the girl, was holding his hand out to Winter. He wore a short sleeve that showed off his heavily muscled arms, one of which was covered by a tattoo in a somewhat heart shaped design. Harry was pretty sure this was Yang's father.

"Yes, Winter Schnee," she said shaking his hand, her military persona suddenly fully back into affect.

"Taiyang Xiao-Long," he introduced himself. "Though I assume you already knew that seeing as you've landed in my front yard."

"Indeed. I-"

"Hey, is that your sister?" Yang strode over to the group with a big grin.

Weiss scurried after her looking slightly reprimanding at her teammates interruption. "Yes Yang, this is-"

"Winter Schnee," she said. "It's a pleasure Miss Xiao-Long."

"You can just call me Yang," she turned towards Harry, looking him up and down. "And who's this?"

Harry held out his own hand this time, "Harry Potter. I'm… consulting with the Atlesian Military and have been working with Winter here."

Weiss scowled at his familiar manner of address with her sister while Yang just pulled her aviators off and stowed them in her pocket. "An accent too," she commented with an approving tone and a wink. "Which Kingdom are you from?"

With her glasses stowed, she finally took his hand. He was surprised to feel cool metal under his palm instead of skin. Looking down he felt his own eyes widen as he took in the robotic appendage. Meeting Yang's lilac gaze once again, he could see the flash of hurt and lingering insecurity under her confident facade. He'd read her file, so Harry knew what had happened, but he'd never seen a prosthetic so advanced. Earth had nothing like this.

Making sure to clear his expression, he gave a smile hoping to put her at ease. "Let's just say I'm not from around these parts."

Yang seemed to relax at his non-verbal reassurance, but she did shoot him a questioning glance at his evasive answer. "So what are you guys doing here?"

"I was wondering the same thing," Taiyang cut in. "General Ironwood was extremely generous in sending us Yang's prosthetic… it just seems unusual to receive a house call from a high ranking Atlas Specialist as well."

"Well, Mr. Xiao-Long-"

"Tai, please call me Tai."

She paused, "Tai… we were actually here to see Yang. General Ironwood believes it would beneficial to reform team RWBY. We were coming to see how her recovery has been going. Afterwards we planned to reconvene with your daughter, Ruby, and," Winter paused momentarily gritting her teeth before continuing in an even tone, "Qrow Branwen as soon as possible."

"Wait. You know where Qrow is?"

Winter's brow furrowed in confusion, "The intelligence I received indicated that he was tailing your daughter, and three other students from Beacon on their travels to Mistral. Before they got out of range of range of the CCT, I was told Qrow informed the General that he'd passed on his knowledge about the perpetrators of the Fall of Beacon's connection to Haven Academy."

There was a moment of silence.

"That no good filthy feathered pidgeon!" Tai suddenly exploded, his fists clenched noticeably. "It's no wonder Ruby ran off when she did. Getting a professional huntsman level mission pretty much handed to her from her 'amazing Uncle Qrow.'" The last part came out in a mocking tone. "What the hell was that old bird thinking?"

Harry unconsciously took a step back from the furious huntsman. Weiss was watching him with her jaw slack, while Harry could see the surprise on Winter's face as well, though she managed to keep her expression mostly impassive. Even Yang was looking at her father's outburst in shock.

Winter gave him a moment to gather himself before she continued, "Be that as it may, we still feel that it would be best to rendezvous with them as soon as possible. It should keep us all safer in the long run."

Seeming to have calmed down, Tai looked at Winter critically for a minute. "That's probably for the best. Yang here was just planning on leaving to try and catch up to her sister now anyways. I'm confused on how you plan to meet with them before Mistral though. It will be impossible to tell how far they would've made it by now and I doubt they'll be easy to spot from a bullhead."

"I should be able to help with that." Stepping forward, he looked at both father and daughter. "Do either of you have something of Ruby's here I could use? Something that was important to her?"

"Why would you need something like that?" Yang's earlier flirtiness had disappeared and instead she was eyeing him somewhat suspiciously.

"I should be able to cast a tracking spell to help our efforts to locate your sister. It's a type of rare associative magic and to form the link to Ruby, we need an object that is connected to her emotionally."

"Magic? What are you like some kind of street magician?"

"I-," he began.

"Yang!" To Harry's surprise, it was Tai that reprimanded her. "That's enough."

"Oh come on! But mag-"

"No," her father's voice was firm before he sighed rubbing his temple, his voice softening. "Yang, there are stranger things in this world than you can ever imagine." He hesitated, "Magic is not just a fairy tail. I don't know much… but, your mother and your uncle were involved with many strange things since before I met them at Beacon. Even after graduation, Qrow and Summer were sucked into all these secret missions for Ozpin and before I knew it your mother had left and soon enough Summer was gone too."

With this new information, Yang looked dazed like someone had just whacked her over the head. Harry could relate. Learning about magic for the first time could be an… interesting experience.

Unsurprisingly, after all these revelations, it was Weiss who spoke first, "I- that doesn't ma-" she trailed off, looking to her sister. "Winter?"

"Nothing Tai has said so far has been incorrect," she commented.

"What? B-but, I thought he," she pointed to Harry, "was kidding… or was just plain stupid… when he was just going on about magic as if it were normal..." He gave her a raised eyebrow.

"All of that being said, despite my knowledge on the matter, the question remains if you are being truthful about being able to use it. The fact that Miss Schnee is here with you to vouch and that the General send you himself is a good indication that your qualifications check out." Tai said before scratching his head sheepishly. "I'm nowhere even qualified to be making that decision anyways. Any help you can give to aid my daughters is more than welcome."

Harry inclined his head, and Winter spoke up, "Perfect. We really should get moving soon. We do have a lot of ground to cover."

"Well it's a good thing Yang is already good to go," he turned towards his daughter. "Help Mr. Potter find something of Ruby's that will fit his criteria. I need to talk to Miss Schnee for a few more minutes."

Grunting in the affirmative, the blonde girl motioned him to follow as she turned towards the house. Weiss hesitated for a few seconds before scurrying after the two others. Stepping across the threshold, Harry wasn't sure what to expect, but if he had to describe it in one word, he'd have to say it looked comfortable. The wooden and walls and warm colours gave it a homey appearance perfect for a family to grow up in.

Yang stopped in the middle of the room looking pensive, giving Harry time to look around more closely. Seeing a few picture frames on a nearby table, he moved over towards it. The first one contained four girls, two of which stood a few feet away from him. From the files he'd read he knew the other two were Ruby Rose and Blake Belladonna. He knew with them being first year students, the picture could be no longer than a year old and yet the girls in the photo looked so much younger than their real life counterparts. Harry knew the looks they wore intimately, seeing as it was the same ones he and many others had sported after witnessing the horrors of war first hand. It had a way of aging those involved much beyond their peers.

Setting the frame back down, Harry looked at the next one over. This photo looked much older, something Harry confirmed to himself as he spotted a decades younger Taiyang. Letting his eyes drift over to the others, Harry spotted a near clone for Tai's youngest daughter, who Harry figured to be her mother. The other woman in the photograph had a face similar to that of Yang, yet her pitch black raven locks were the antithesis of Tai and Yang's shining blonde. The last member of the now disbanded Huntsman team was a tall and lanky man. Through process of elimination, Harry knew this one to be Qrow Branwen. Not only was he their mission's contact, but also Ruby and Yang's uncle, and apparently Winter's ex. He wasn't sure what to think about the famous huntsman and decided to reserve judgement until he met the man in person.

"Our best chance to find something is probably in her room," Yang's voice surprised Harry but he managed not to jump.

Putting the frame down, he moved over towards the staircase that the blonde was already a few steps up. Coming up behind her, Harry noted that she seemed to be shooting the frame he'd just been holding a weird look, but he soon shook it off and continued leading the way. Following her down the hall, Yang pushed open the door at the end of the hall and entered.

The room they entered was quite spacious with a large window overlooking the field where their bullhead was parked. Glancing around, Harry's eyes fell on a big bookshelf. What surprised him about it was nothing to do with the books, but to do with the small figurines of beowulves positioned as if to attack. Demons were a practically taboo topic among magic users on Earth and they hadn't been seen in a millennium. Here on Remnant, the threat was still very much alive so he was surprised that the Grimm would be made into toy-like figures like this at all, but Harry had underestimated the power of corporate greed before.

"She really likes killing Grimm," Yang offered lamely after seeing his look.

"So not an object she holds close to her heart then?" He asked.

Yang looked at him as if he were crazy, "No." She shook her head. "What exactly are we looking for?"

"Anything she would particularly care about. The more important to her the better. If it has a strong sentimental value or some important event in her life linked to it, all the better."

Yang once again fell into a contemplative silence and it was Weiss that broke it, "What about something to do with her mo-" She cringed shooting Yang an apologetic look and corrected herself, "your mother… Summer right?"

Yang's eyes widened, "That would be perfect… but I don't know what there is to use." She let her eyes scan around the room, "The main thing she has is her cloak. Mom gave it to her when she was young and she never lets it out of her sight, thus it's with her right now."

The girl moved over to her sister's closet and pulled the doors open. She rifled through the contents for a minute before coming back out and throwing her hands in the air.

"No luck?" Harry asked.

She scowled, "No. I don't know if there's anything else of our moms even left." She strode over to her nightstand this time, wrenching the drawer open. Pulling the items within out onto the bed quickly one by one. It was as the pile on the bed started to grow larger and larger that Yang finally froze.

Despite Weiss still seeming to disapprove of him, she did exchange a worried glance with him before moving towards her teammate, "Yang? Are you alright? Are you cryi-"

"Shut up. I'm not crying," she growled back, hastily wiping her eyes. Turning back around, she was holding something in her hands. She moved over towards Harry handing it to him hesitantly. He accepted the rectangular shaped object carefully.

"A children's book?" He asked flipping through a few pages quickly.

"I know it's not from our mom like Weiss suggested, but after she… passed away... our dad took it pretty hard. It was really tough for a while. I started reading that book to her every night. She always said she wanted to be a huntress like the girl in the story." Yang paused. "We haven't read that book together in years… I thought it got thrown out amongst all our other childhood stuff. I never expected she kept it this close. Do you think it's enough to work?"

Harry ran his hand over the cover. "I think it will be perfect. In fact it will probably be even better with something coming from you." Harry hesitated. "This procedure… it'll destroy the book. Are you ok with that?"

Yang eyes darted back down to the object in question, looking somewhat sorrowful. "This is the only way to track her?"

"It's the only foolproof way I know." He said. "I was just going to conjure something up temporarily, but if you have a necklace or something you want to use, I could tie the enchantment to it permanently. It won't save the book but at least you'll have something to show for it and it will always leave you with a way to find your sister wherever you are."

She looked at him in awe, "I think I have just the thing. Stay here!" She raced out of the room and down the hall, leaving him alone with Weiss. She stood there watching him with a blank expression that made Harry want to fidget. Before he could think of anything to break the silence, Yang had returned. "Found it! Ruby gave this to me for my birthday last year. It was before we knew she was getting into Beacon early."

A golden chain glinted from inside Yang's hand, and Harry put his own hand out to accept it. Fingering the piece of jewelry, Harry looked at it closely. The overall shape seemed to be that of a golden rose while the very center of the metal flower was engraved with a burning heart, identical to the symbol currently stamped on Yang's outfit. Internally, Harry couldn't help but smile. Yang didn't know it, but this would now work out even better. The book would forge the connection to Ruby herself, but using it on a necklace she'd received from Ruby and meant a lot to the both of them would only strengthen that bond, especially if she was the one using it.

"It's perfect. Why don't we go check on your father and Winter and see how they're doing?"

The trio then proceeded to exit the room, trudge down the stairs and head outside. Stepping back out into the sun, Harry shielded his eyes before almost being bowled over by a small grey blur. Blinking down at his feet in confusion, he took in the sight of dog looking up at him. It barked happily at catching Harry's attention. Crouching down, he gave the dog a pat.

"Zwei!" Yang called from behind him as Harry stood back up. The dog bounded off towards the blonde.

"Did you find what you need?" Winter asked as he approached her and Tai.

"I think so," Harry ejected his wand into his hand, before turning to Tai. "How important is your grass to you?"

"My grass? What do you mean? It's just grass," he looked befuddled.

Harry waved him off, "Don't worry about it."

Crouching down once again, Harry closed his eyes. Letting himself fall into a meditative trance, Harry reinforced his own occlumency so he could have maximum focus when attempting to cast. He would only have one shot at this and couldn't afford to get distracted by his newly unlocked aura.

"Are you ok Harry?" Winter's voice broke his concentration as her hand lightly brushed against his shoulder.

It didn't take him long to realize he must have sat there silently for too long. He really didn't want to worry her about his own difficulties, it was something he had to figure out on his own. That coupled with his frustration at his lack of progress all bubbled to the surface at once and he bit out, "I'm fine."

Her hand recoiled as if burned and as Harry opened his eyes, he saw whatever emotion had been on Winter's face vanish into a blank expression, though her eyes were giving him a warning look. He sighed, and tried to apologize nonverbally. With a softer voice he continued, "I just need to focus for this spell. It's delicate work."

She nodded and he saw the tense muscles in her face relax ever so slightly. If he felt bad about the little white lie before, he felt worse for it after seeing how easily she accepted his word for it. In reality, it wasn't really a lie, but more of a misdirection, though that didn't make it feel any better.

Closing his eyes again before he let his thoughts wander any farther, Harry focused in on what he wanted to do. Holding back his now ever present aura from interfering was still a chore but he managed it. Opening his eyes, he began tracing a large circle on the ground with his wand, the grass burning away behind it. The circle complete, next a series of specifically placed runes and other lines were imprinted on the ground. Finally, two smaller circles were drawn on the inside of the larger one.

Admiring his own handy work, Harry placed the storybook in the one circle and the necklace in the other. Brushing his sensing along the book, he didn't feel anything magical, but he hadn't been expecting to. Pushing a bit farther, Harry began to get a sense for what he was looking for. Witches and Wizards weren't just magically aware humans, they were spiritually aware as well. Their connection to the arcane forces giving them an almost second sight into different planes of reality. Most magicals never were able to use this ability these days, seeing as they barely trained themselves to sense magical items without a spell anymore, but for those who did study farther, a whole world of possibilities was opened up.

It was with these abilities that Harry was finally able to get a sense for what he was looking for. There was always a lingering sense of the emotions invested in objects of importance. Not wanting to sound like Dumbledore, but the love between family was a powerful thing, and it had left a trace on this book. It was almost like the opposite feeling he had gotten off of one of Voldemort's horcruxes, but all the more subtle. That was all the connection he needed. Holding that phantom feeling within himself, and focussing on locating Ruby on the other end, Harry snapped his fingers, activating the runic circle.

The symbols traced into the earth suddenly blazed to life. Glowing brightly. Harry heard several surprised gasps behind him. The intensity of the light began to die down when the book suddenly burst into flames. The fact that these were not regular flames was readily apparent seeing as how when the paper was consumed it seemed to transform into glowing golden dust. The shining particles swirled up through the air, not leaving the boundary of the outer circle, before flowing over towards the necklace and being absorbed within. The small piece of jewelry glowed softly for a moment before returning back to it's original state.

Kicking some dirt across the circle, Harry broke the runic array, dispersing any remaining magic power stored there. Scooping up the small object, he turned and handed it to a dumbfounded Yang, "Why don't you hold onto this."

"I-it's warm," she sounded shocked.

"It's connected to your sister now and forever. Do you know where she is?"

"No, of I course I don…" she trailed off her eyes going slightly unfocused. She turned a few degrees, her eyes now focused on some distant point on the horizon. "She's that way… how do I know that?"

"It's the spell on the necklace at work," Harry smiled, something Yang matched before, to his surprise, she suddenly pulled him into a rib cracking hug.

"Thank you so much!" Looking past her thick golden hair, Harry was surprised to a distinctly annoyed look on Winter's face. He was not sure if it was because of the hug or something else he had done, but he managed to extract himself from the blonde fairly quickly. "Would you mind?" She turned to Weiss holding out the chain.

"Oh… uh… sure," the younger Schnee stumbled taking the proffered jewelry. To Harry's amusement, her eyes went wide on contact too. Looking down at it in wonder, a faint blush dusted across her cheeks as she whispered to herself, "Ruby…" Shaking her head, she moved fasten the chain around her teammates neck, as she moved her hair out of the way.

As Weiss stepped back, Yang fingered her new pendent happily before a frown flickered across her face. "Somethings… off."

Harry was at her side in an instant, his gaze already locked onto the object he'd just finished enchanting, "What do you mean?"

"I don't know exactly… I can still sense where she is, and for some reason I just know she isn't hurt, but something isn't right." Her voice started to sound somewhat panicked, "I think she needs our help… I just don't know why."

"You all better get moving then," Tai's voice commanded all their attention.

"Can the magic you used even sense something like that?" Winter asked ignoring Tai's comment for the moment, her eyes still locked on Yang.

Harry rang his hand through his hair as he thought it through, "From what I enchanted it to do… no, but it's still possible." Everyone gave him a confused look. "What you have to understand is that magic is alive… in a sense. It has a will of it's own. Two different people, in different circumstances, could cast the same spell perfectly and obtain different results. So, no, the type of empathetic link Yang is describing is not part of what I enchanted the necklace to do, but it is very much possible that it came into being with the different factors in play here."

"I think I understand," Harry was surprised that Yang was the first to speak, "If we had managed to use something from our mom, like we were planning, in the spell, it might have reacted differently."

Harry smiled, "Exactly."

The others still looked a little confused but Harry didn't really think it was that important at the moment.

"If Ruby might be in trouble, shouldn't we be moving already?" Everyone's gaze swivelled onto Weiss.

"That's a good point!" Yang added pumping her fist. "I want to have a little talk with my baby sis about leaving without saying goodbye like she did."

"Though not exactly time sensitive, it would be best to get our mission underway as soon as possible," Winter added.

"Perfect! Hey Weiss, help me load up Bumblebee, would ya?"

"I'm not touching that thing, it'll ruin my clothing!"

"Are you calling Bumblebee dirty?!" Yang indignant shout sounded behind him as Harry joined Winter's side, facing Tai.

"So you're not coming with?" Harry asked.

Tai looked pained, "I'd like nothing more to go help out my daughters but I can't. With everything that's happened here in Vale, they need me here at Signal Academy."

"That makes sense."

"Just promise… both of you… you'll look out for them." He looked vulnerable. "Ruby and Yang are all I have left in this world. I know I can't stop them, as much as I wish I could, but I just want to make sure they'll be safe."

"I'll keep my eye on them Tai. No one will get hurt if I can do anything about it," he patted the larger man on the shoulder. He turned to Winter who nodded solemnly.

"Thank you," Tai smiled thankfully, something that transformed into a look that was positively feral a moment later. "Make sure to tell Qrow that I want to have a few words with him when he gets back, and feel free to give him hell for me."

A big smirk finally broke across Winter's face. "Oh don't worry, that won't be a problem."

Despite Qrow being Winter's ex, and all the misgivings he'd been starting to have about working with him, Harry couldn't help but feel a bit of pity for the huntsman he'd never met. Harry did not want to ever end up on the wrong side of Winter Schnee.

* * *

Ruby stood nervously off to one side of the giant tent she'd been shown into. Her Uncle Qrow was laid out on a bedroll in the middle of the floor. The imposing woman with raven coloured hair stood with her back to her, pouring over a large desk. Her friends had been shoved off to another part of the camp upon their arrival. They were fine, but it didn't stop her from worrying.

With a loud sigh, the woman turned around and sat in a chair overlooking her brother. The White Nevermore mask didn't do much to calm Ruby's nerves. In her mind, she knew this was Yang's real mom, but even that thought seemed foreign in her head. All her memories of her and Yang with Summer Rose started flashing through her mind. Looking over the woman again, it struck Ruby that they were almost related in a way and yet she couldn't be more of a stranger.

"Do you have to wear that?" Ruby flinched at her own abrupt question, surprised that she'd actually had the bravery to say it out loud.

The burning red eyes, peeking out from within the bone mask, shifted upwards to meet her own silver ones. There was a silence in the tent as Ruby felt her breath catch in her throat, "You are so much like her."

Reaching upward she pulled the mask away causing her breath to catch for a second time, though the tension in the room seemed to be fading away. The face in front of her looked just like her sister. A bit older, a bit more weary, but just like her sister all the same. Now that she could see the whole picture, even the shape of her hair looked similar though the colour was obviously wrong. Despite the now slightly more friendly environment, having the woman's crimson eyes focused on her was unnerving. They were the exact same shade as Yang's when she truly lost her temper, something she'd never been on the receiving end of.

"What do you mean?" Ruby felt herself asking before she could stop herself.

Raven gave a somewhat wistful, if still bitter smile, "Summer Rose. Your mother. You look just like her... and sound like her too."

"Uhhh… thank you…" she stuttered nervously. Raven didn't react at all, further confusing Ruby on whether it had been meant as a compliment or not. Forcing her eyes away from the ex-Huntress, Ruby tried to focus on looking at other things around the room, though it didn't work as she always felt her eyes slipping back to her sisters mother.

She was burning to ask the mysterious woman some questions, but managed to refrain from doing so. This should be Yang's chance to get some answers first, not hers. Just when she was about to ask Raven what they were going to do about Qrow, seeing as how all that had taken place so far had been to place him in this room, the flap of the tent was pushed open.

"You called for me Raven," a woman asked as she entered. The first thing Ruby noticed was her exceptional beauty. She had big green eyes and hair a few shades darker, of the same colour, that was just longer than shoulder length while tied in a ponytail. While waiting for a response, she looked over at Ruby causing the sixteen year-old to blush.

"Yes I did, Viridian," Raven said looking up with a halfway fond smile. A traitorous part of Ruby's mind was feeling indignant on her sister's behalf. Shouldn't Raven have been around to give those kind of looks to her? Another part of her mind was screaming at her that if Raven had never left, she might never have been born. It was a confusing situation. "It seems my foolish brother has gone and gotten himself poisoned by one of… her… operatives."

The younger woman stiffened, "Which one?"

"He called himself Tyrian," Ruby blurrted out, drawing both their attention onto herself. "You're talking about Salem right?"

Before she knew what was happening, Ruby found a hand smacked over her mouth keeping her silent. To her surprise, it was the girl, Viridian, not Raven, "I would be careful what you say in the future. Names have more power than you might know."

Raven was watching their interaction with a blank expression. She retracted her hand and moved closer to Qrow.

"I'd appreciate it if you could see what you can do for him."

"Of course," Viridian chirped, her serious demeanor vanishing in an instant.

Getting down on her knees beside him, the girl closed her eyes, her brow furrowing as if in concentration. A small breeze seemed pick up suddenly, causing the flap of the tent to flutter wildly. To her surprise, it carried with it the overwhelming scent of freshly cut grass, the aroma of wildflowers, and even the muggy smell usually present after a heavy rain.

The girl's eyes snapped open, but unlike before, they were now glowing with an unnatural light. It only took Ruby a second to realize what was happening, "Y-you're a Maiden!"

She stumbled backwards tripping over her own feet. Ruby could feel something bubbling up inside of her. The same sort of feeling she'd gotten the night Beacon had fallen, when she'd confronted Cinder, and witnessed Pyrrha struck down before her very eyes. The pressure was building up inside of her, and she didn't know how to control it.

"Stop!" Raven commanded. The light in Viridian's eyes extinguished and the strange energy left the area at the same time that the feelings inside of Ruby subsided. "It's seems my dear brother has been a bit more talkative I anticipated." She shared a look with the girl, before turning back to Ruby. "Miss Rose, maybe it would be best for you to go join your companions while we work on my brother."

"I want to stay and watch," she tried to stand firm but couldn't stop her voice from wavering slightly under the intense woman's gaze, her own eyes darting nervously between her uncle and his sister.

"What you think I'd hurt my own twin?" Raven asked with interest, a single eyebrow arching up into her hairline.

"You abandoned your own daughter." Ruby shot back as her frustration grew, something she began to regret almost immediately. Silence reigned throughout the tent. Raven hadn't moved an inch but all of Ruby's senses were suddenly screaming at her of danger.

"Get out."

"I-"

"I said get out." Her voice took on a menacing edge. "Don't make me ask again."

Ruby nodded quickly and scurried out of the tent. That had not gone at all close to how she had planned. Her anger at the pain she knew that woman had caused her sister had overridden her logical mind for a second, and she'd allowed herself to lash out. At least she was pretty sure that her uncle would get the help he needed. She'd go and find Jaune, Ren, and Nora. They'd help pass the time until they got some news.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** I AM NOT NERFING HARRY! There. Just had to get this out there since it seems to be worrying people from the crazy number of reviews I've gotten stating by taking away Harry's magic, I am ruining the story. Trust me, I hate crossovers like that just as much as you do. What is happening to Harry this chapter is TEMPORARY. It should be resolved by the end of the next chapter. I was using this to instigate a certain situation that you'll have to wait to read about, though I'm starting to wonder if I should have found a different way to accomplish the same thing. Anyway, please don't worry everyone, Harry will be back to his good old self soon enough. _


	11. Here There Be Bandits

**Chapter 11**

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _Hey everyone, managed to get another chapter for you guys done and to my surprise, it is almost the same length of my last one but this one is not filler._

 _I know some people were very worried that Harry would be losing his magic last chapter, but I'll say this again now, don't be. Most of this chapter should be reassuring to you, but if you still doubt me, read till the very end of this chapter and you should be happy._

 _I'm actually not overly happy how some of the action turned out in this chapter but I think I tried to spruce it up the best I could. I hope no one seems too OOC but just remember they are all dealing with a lot of stress and in some cases repressed emotions. My take on Raven has some aspects of canon but I've changed and added my own things. It was sort of needed since we still don't know that much about her. Please remember this story is an AU so please don't bombard me with tons messages saying, so and so wouldn't act like that, but a few constructive comments are fine._

 _All of that being said, thank you so much for all the responses so far, even if some people seemed concerned about the direction of the story. The amounts of follows and favorites have been staggering and the reviews are much appreciated. Please keep letting me know what you all think._

 _Please enjoy the chapter!_

* * *

Yang hadn't thought this would be a sight she would have ever come across in her life. If she hadn't gotten used to having nightmares over the past half year, so much so that she could intrinsically tell when she was dreaming, she might have been convinced that she was truly asleep. The reality she was facing was so horrifying that it was something she would have thought could only be conjured up by the deepest, darkest parts of her psyche.

Her muscles burned as she pushed herself faster and faster towards the scene unfolding before her. She could feel her own aura flaring in response to her chaotic emotions. She knew Weiss, Weiss' sister, and the strange magic user, Harry, were running behind her somewhere. She didn't care if she left them behind as she ran into danger. The burning of her new necklace did away with any personal restraints she had on the matter. To most others, she looked like a yellow blur speeding towards her destination, but it was still unclear if it was enough. The question on everyone's mind, _'was she going to make it in time?'_

* * *

Ruby crossed through the camp, her posture tense. She could see where Jaune, Ren, and Nora were waiting, though it was starting to look more like they were being held prisoner than anything else. Luckily, none of them had lost their weapons yet. Feeling the familiar feeling of being watched, Ruby glanced around as discreetly as the sixteen-year-old reaper could, spotting the many eyes upon her. The expressions on their faces ranged from curious, to disinterested, to downright hostile. She wasn't sure why the last one was the case, but she tried not to let it bug her.

Her Uncle Qrow had once told her the importance of keeping up a strong facade when around potential enemies, but this was the first time she'd ever seen a place where she might have to use it. She wanted nothing more than to be able to hide in her hood until everything was done, but being a leader, even if her team was currently disbanded, meant looking out for your allies and that was just what she was going to do.

Standing up straight and pushing her small shoulders back, Ruby marched towards her friends as confidently as she could. She tried to imitate the usual sense of self-assurance her older sister gave off but it wasn't something that came naturally to her. She'd always considered herself somewhat socially awkward. Unfortunately, she couldn't avoid the flashbacks to the last time she'd seen Yang. Her defeated slouch and generally uncaring attitude had hit her that day like a slap in the face. It was such an uncharacteristic position for her older sister that even just thinking about it now made her current act waver even more.

Finally reaching the others, Ruby was able to relax a minuscule amount. She felt slightly safer now she was around them, not that she could figure out what it was about the inhabitants of this camp that set her so on edge. Whatever this whole community was, it seemed that Yang's mother, Raven, was their leader. Everyone else they'd met had seemed to defer to her and her tent, the largest, was obviously set in the center of the camp.

"How's Qrow?" Jaune asked. Ruby knew he cared for her as a friend, but she hadn't been blind to the animosity he seemed to hold for her uncle over his recent revelations. The fact that the blonde knight had still worked to save him anyway, only made her all the more thankful to her first friend from Beacon.

"He's… ok, I think." She said, hesitating to tell him the rest, her voice lowering. "They have a Maiden here. I don't know which one, but she seems close to Raven. She's the one trying to heal Qrow."

Ruby could hear the creak of leather as Jaune's hand, which had been resting lightly on the grip of his sword, suddenly tightened considerably. A war of emotions played across his face before Jaune finally seemed to be able to reign in his anger. The whole thing just made Ruby feel sad. She missed the old fun and playful Jaune from before their whole world had fallen apart. She wasn't stupid, she'd noticed the anger he seemed to carry around with him wherever he went. Snippets of his old personality would pop out every once in awhile, but they were few and far between. She was sure that he thought he was tricking them, but from some of the looks she'd shared with Ren and Nora over the past half year, it was apparent they saw it too.

"I thought he said they weren't well known? How is it that we just stumbled across a Maiden on our own, just after learning of them?" Nora asked, now beside Jaune.

Turning to face the hyperactive redhead, Ruby was taken aback by the look on the face of the second male of their new team, the usually stoic Ren. His face was contorted in a mixture of anger and hurt. She just shrugged to Nora, continuing to gaze at the black haired teen with his pink highlight, "Hey Ren, you ok?"

Nora turned slightly, seeming to try and convey something to her partner without words, while Jaune, finally noticing his teammates predicament added, "Ya, you ok man?"

Looking down at Nora and then his two other friends, he spoke in a low voice, "If this group has one of the Maidens aligned with them, that is not a good thing."

Ruby was confused, "What are you talking about? I know they would probably be safer in one of the Kingdoms but a nomadic group like this isn't necessarily bad."

Ren remained silent, his own fists clenching and unclenching, something that was making Ruby nervous. She couldn't figure out what would be enough to irritate him so much. It was just so out of character for Ren.

"Ren?" Nora finally voiced out loud drawing his attention back to them.

He sighed before taking a deep breath, "You all remember what happened in Shione Village?"

Ruby's spirits plummeted as thoughts of the wrecked buildings and numerous bodies filled her head. If she tried hard enough she could almost smell the horrendous smoke that had hung over the remains of the village like a fog. She nodded tentatively.

"Do you remember what the huntsman we found said?" Ren asked, his voice taking on a hard edge once again.

"About the Grimm?" She asked.

Jaune spoke before Ren could answer, "About the bandits." A look of understanding had dawned on his face while he spoke and was quickly transitioning over to anger.

It wasn't until Ruby heard the telltale sound of Crocea Mors being pulled from its sheath that she realized what they both meant. With her heart hammering at the recent realization, she sped closer to Jaune in a flurry of rose petals and grabbed his wrist.

"Let go, Ruby," Jaune growled. "It's their fault that all those people died in Shione Village!"

Ruby could tell that they were starting to attract attention from what she now realized to be a bandit camp. This wasn't good, "I know Jaune, but we can't just go and attack them. There's too many of them, we'd never survive… and they have my uncle."

She could feel Jaune's arm trembling underneath her touch. At the mention of Qrow, his look became a glare before he shut his eyes for a moment. When they opened again, it was if all the emotion had been drained out of him. He let his sword slide back to it's resting position. For some reason, this expression on her friend hurt her more than when he'd been directing his anger at her. Someone would have to talk to Jaune soon, he couldn't continue on like this. They just needed to get out of this situation safely first.

"So are we just going to let them get away with this?" Ren asked quietly. His mood was really starting to unsettle Ruby. He was still speaking calmly, but there was an edge to that calmness that reeked of danger.

"Of course I don't want to, but I don't know what we can do about it," Ruby implored him to understand.

Ren turned away, staring out into the distance, shoulders visibly tense.

"Ren, what's really going on?" In concern for his teammate, Jaune seemed to get some life back into him. The quiet boy didn't answer. "Ren?"

"You should tell them," Nora broke the silence. Ren reacted this time with a small flinch but he still didn't say anything.

"Nora?" Ruby inquired, hoping that the other girl would be able to act as the only other sane one of this trip.

The redheaded hammer wielder sighed, "This isn't exactly the first time we've run into these… bandits." She had their full attention now. "They're the reason Ren and I have nowhere to go. We lived in a small settlement just outside the borders of Mistral. They looted our town and caused its destruction."

The silence within the small group was tangible and Ruby didn't think it was possible for the group morale to fall any lower.

"Oh Ren, I-"

"Don't," he cut her off. "I understand your fears and I do not wish to risk your uncle's life, but these people need to be brought to justice before they can harm anyone else."

"I know but it's not like we can just arrest them!" Ruby added starting to feel frustrated.

Ren moved to respond, "Then-"

"What's this we have here?" A new voice interjected causing the four Huntsman in training to spin around. "Are the little kiddies having fun playing Huntsman? Think you're good enough to arrest little old me and my friends."

The man who stood before them smiled wolfishly at his own joke. He let his voice ring out as he spoke, catching the attention of many of the other bandits nearby and informing them of their conversation. Feeling them start to close in, Ruby tried not panic. She pulled out and unfurled Crescent Rose at the same time that Jaune unsheathed Crocea Mors, Nora unfolded Magnhild, and Ren unleashed Stormflower.

"Oh. Are the little Huntsman ready to play?" the bandit asked, others slowly starting to press in just as close. Before one of them could respond, the bandit who had been mouthing off charged forward with his weapon raised. Ruby scrambled to get into a defensive stance within their tight quarters, but fortunately for her Jaune stepped forward slightly and took the impact on his shield with a grunt. The blonde lashed out with his sword a second later, using the rebound to attempt a hit of his own. It hit true and their opponent was forced backwards. The good feeling didn't last long as another person stepped up to take his place.

Twirling her scythe around in her hands in a way that looked almost impossible with her small frame, Ruby managed to knock a few more of their attackers away. The crowding bandits dove to the ground or raised their shields as Ren unleashed a hail of gunfire over their advancing ranks. Nora had Magnhild raised in grenade launcher mode but she hadn't fired as of yet.

They readied themselves for the next wave, as the mix of human and faunus bandits climbed back to their feet. From the looks they were getting, Ruby could tell they were taking them much more seriously now. That wasn't good news for them with their severe numerical disadvantage.

As they started moving in on them again, this time much more cautiously, a loud voice ripped through the air, "What's going here?" Raven strode through their ranks, the bandits parting out of her way immediately, "I thought I told you not to touch them unless they tried to leave or when acting in self-defense."

"I overheard these kids plotting to arrest us," the man who had started the altercation said, his eyes averted. Now that Ruby had a chance to look him over, she felt a little indignant at his comments. He didn't look too much older than Jaune and the others himself.

"Is that so?" Raven's crimson gaze swiveled over to bore into Ruby's silver eyes.

"It is," both Ruby and Raven turned to look at Jaune both looking somewhat surprised at his outburst. "It's your fault what happened to Shione Village. They were slaughtered because of your actions."

Her eyes narrowed, "We had no way of knowing the Grimm would set in as quickly as they did. It's unfortunate but none of our concern"

"Oh of course not. You attacked them, compromising their defenses, stole from them, and didn't think that would create enough negative emotion to draw the Grimm in," Jaune snarked, a fire burning in his eyes.

"It's the way of the world," she shrugged. "The weak perish and the strong survive."

"You mean weak like the people of Kuroyuri?" Ren's voice cut in causing everyone's attention to lock onto him. "Weak like when they had to fight off an ambush by your people that destroyed the town's defenses. Weak like when the fighters of our people, including my father, were murdered and our supplies were taken. Weak like when those with no training suddenly had to defend their children from hordes of ferocious Grimm, like my mother did when she gave her life for me to escape."

Ren was breathing heavily now, glaring at those around him, while Nora watched him with concern. Ruby didn't know what to do. Everything seemed to be falling apart around them. Raven hadn't said a word since Ren's accusation.

"You won't be harming anyone else from now on and you need to hand yourselves over to the authorities in Mistral," Jaune wasn't backing down as he took another step forward.

"And do you stand by your teammates' decision, Miss Rose?" The ex-huntresses eyes were firmly locked onto her own.

Ruby hesitated, glancing over at said teammates. They weren't wrong about what they were saying, but it did nothing to calm her nerves.

"I do," Ruby said stepping forward, her voice strong. "What you've done is wrong. Even if you hadn't k-killed people, your actions have lead to countless deaths. You all need to be held accountable and need to give yourselves over to law enforcement in Mistral."

Raven's head tilted to the side while she studied her, "And what if we don't comply?"

"Then we'll be forced to take you in ourselves," Jaune took another step forward.

"Is that a challenge?" Her eyebrow arched, yet Ruby could tell she was deadly serious. "Because only the leader or those who have defeated them can tell this tribe to do anything."

"Then I guess we'll just have to go through you first!" Jaune charged forward, sword raised.

"Jaune! No!" Ruby yelled, reaching for him futily.

The blonde knight's swing was avoided with ease by the older woman. She bashed his shield to the side, making him stumble back, disorientated. To Ruby's horror, Raven's suddenly unsheathed crimson blade moved towards him, but she was forced to break off her attack when Ren unloaded a clip in her direction. Her sword became a blur as she managed to deflect the dust rounds away from herself. Nora's flying grenades couldn't be handled the same way but were easily dodged as well.

Charging forward, Ren moved in, to the use the blades of his StormFlower but she parried both of them with one swing. As this was going on, Jaune had begun to climb back to his feet, but Raven kicked out behind her, knocking him back down, without even looking. Nora fired again and again, but the middle-aged woman danced out of the way each time, all the while keeping Ren at bay. After a few more moments of this, she finally managed to twirl out of the way of another volley launched from the redheaded Valkyrie, but in doing so, she lined Ren up in the collision course instead.

"Ren!" Nora called as her eyes widened in horror. It was too late as the grenades crashed into the quiet boy's aura, exploding on impact and sending him flying. Nora was quick to run to his side, leaving Ruby alone. Seeing two of her friends now down was enough to finally snap her out of her momentary indecision. It didn't matter that this was Yang's mom, she had to put a stop to this.

Flashing forward, Ruby brought Crescent Rose down towards the raven haired woman with both hands. She only looked slightly surprised before bringing up her extremely long blade to deflect the blow, something not many could do with the weight and momentum behind her scythe. Over the next few minutes they exchanged a flurry of blows, but no matter how hard she tried, she never managed to land a hit. It wasn't until Raven stopped moving entirely, with herself following suit, that Ruby realized while her opponent had yet to harm her either, she didn't seem to even be pressing the attack. It was almost as if Raven was playing with her.

"I see you take after my brother with your weapon design," she nodded towards Crescent Rose. "I can see hints of his fighting style as well, so I assume he was the one to train you?"

"Yes… he helped me build Crescent Rose as well," Ruby was a little thrown off by the sudden conversation in the middle what she thought was a serious fight, but she answered anyway on reflex. She took a second to look around and suddenly noticed that the crowd around them had backed up into a ring. Nora was still supporting Ren, who was looking a little worse for wear, and Jaune, who had regained both his feet and his weapon, was watching, looking extremely tense.

To her surprise, Raven's expression broke into a somewhat tight smile, "I see you have Summer's penchant for giving her weapons her surname."

From what Ruby had witnessed that day, it was obvious to her than Raven and her mother had been close. The fact that she was also the leader of a murderous group of bandits, however, confused her and made her start to question much of what she knew about her mom. Would she really be friends with someone like this?

"I'll give you one chance Ruby to leave with your life. For the friendship I once had with your mother, I will let you go this once, but if we ever do cross paths again, I won't be able to stop my people from doing what they want. Do you understand?"

"What about my friends?" Ruby asked, her knees trembling as the physical exertion of their trip and fight finally started to catch up with her.

"What about them?" Raven cocked her head to the side, "They have insulted my people and instigated the conflict despite our… hospitality. I have no reason to spare them. Don't worry, they will all get the chance to fight me in one on one combat. We are not without honour."

"Unless they can leave with me, I won't be able to take you up on your offer," Ruby said her voice confident, though on the inside she felt like shaking.

Raven sighed, "That's unfortunate." Her face fell back to an expressionless mask before she darted forward herself.

Ruby felt her breath catch in her throat as Raven almost seemed to disappear from where she standing and reappear a second later right in front of her. She barely got her scythe up in time to stop herself from being bisected. The next jab slipped passed her guard and struck her side, skidding off her aura.

Swinging her scythe at Raven's head, the bandit leader leaned back in a feat of flexibility that didn't even seem humanly possible, her weapons blade passing her by a hair's breadth. As she pulled herself back up, she kicked out, her heal impacting Ruby's stomach as her scythe was still locked into the momentum of its arch. The blow made her aura flare once again and sent her skidding backwards across the dirt. Climbing back to feet, she tried to regain her breath. This was not going well. It was just like the fight with Tyrian. Raven was on a whole other level of skill.

"Do you really think you can stop me?" She asked conversationally as if she hadn't just tried to kill her. "My brother has never managed it and you admitted yourself that he was the one to train you."

It wasn't really a shock to her, but the information still caused her heart to sink. She'd seen her uncle fight. He was amazing and she knew she had no chance of beating him. If he had never managed to defeat his twin sister, how would she ever stand a chance? Looking around and seeing the expressions on Nora's face as she tried to help an injured Ren, and the mixture of anger and despair on Jaune's face, surrounded as he was by several bandits, she realized all of a sudden that it didn't matter.

"I don't care!" Ruby answered. "My friends' lives are more important. Even if there is no chance of me winning, I'll continue to fight for them as long as I can!"

Making the first move for once, Ruby used her semblance to blur into action. In a burst of rose petals, she darted left and right trying to confuse the older woman. She sped in a circle around her, finally stopping as she hooked Crescent Rose around Raven's legs from behind and pulled. For a moment, Ruby thought it had worked, but Raven just went with the momentum, allowing her body to flip forward. She pushed off the ground with her hands above her head, reversing her momentum and slamming her feet back into Ruby.

As she stumbled back again, Raven righted herself and lashed out with her sword. She managed to deflect a few of the attacks but the rest found their mark, continuing to whittle away at her aura. Ruby quailed under the onslaught, flinching away and closing her eyes from the latest incoming strike, only for it never to come. A loud crash rent through the air. Looking around. Eyes snapping open, Ruby watched in shock as Jaune slammed the into Raven from the side, the full weight of his body behind his shield.

For the first time, Raven stumbled. Turning her crimson eyes on the blonde, she moved swiftly, a few deft strikes from her long sword, knocking his shield to the side and striking his sword arm so that his weapon slipped from his fingers. A large slash flashed brightly against his aura knocking him onto his back near the bandits who had been originally holding him. Ruby still wasn't sure how he'd gotten free originally.

Using this as an advantage, Ruby moved forward again lining up her strike and releasing her weapon. However, her eyes widened in shock as Raven spun and managed to stop her large scythe with a single hand. Before she had a chance to process what had happened, Raven had ripped it straight out of her hands and tossing it away. Before she knew what was happening, she saw Raven's fist flying towards her. She had a split second to compare it to seeing Qrow do the same thing to Tyrian before it impacted her.

Tumbling backwards out of control, Ruby's aura flashed red and fizzled around her. She stopped moving, resting on her back. Her body ached in all the places she'd sustained hits. Raven's footsteps sounded unnaturally loud to her as they hit the earth, leisurely walking towards her.

"You fought well for someone of your age, but it was never going to be enough against me," she stopped beside her.

The sounds of a struggle reached her ears. The voices of her friends calling to her, but it all sounded as if from a great distance. Her heart beat heavily against her ears, her eyes only able to focus on the crimson blade, the same colour of her blood as it was about to spill. Ruby knew their journey would be dangerous, but she'd never actually thought she would die. She regretted the fact that she'd lead Jaune, Ren, and Nora into this situation by calling Raven to help them. She regretted that she'd never get to see her sister again after their somewhat awkward last talk, she'd never get to see Blake again, and most of all her partner slash self-proclaimed BFF, Weiss.

She looked down at her with a calm expression, "I'll make it quick."

"RAVEN!" A familiar voice cut through the camp.

Ruby managed to turn her head and look. Her uncle was awake, if extremely pale. He stood at the entrance to the tent she'd last left him in. His sword was planted into the ground and he looked to be leaning most of his weight upon it.

"What are you doing?" His question was quieter than his original shout and yet it could still be heard across the whole camp. The tight grip of panic loosened in her chest. She would be fine. Her uncle was always there to save her.

"Brother," she acknowledged. "I already gave her the chance to walk away. Ruby and her friends seem to have their minds set on arresting us."

Qrow grimaced. Ruby could see sweat beading on his brow even from where she laid on the ground. "Let her go."

"She agreed to fight me in front of the tribe. You know the rules that we live by."

"Raven, you need to let her go," Qrow tried again. "Because sister or not, if you harm one hair on my niece's head, I will hunt you to corners of Remnant and back."

"But she's not really your niece, is she? You have no relation to her. She's Taiyang and Summer's child. She's the daughter you wish you had," Raven sighed. "I can't believe you're still pining after Summer, even all these years after her death."

"Don't you dare-" he growled.

"You need to wake up Qrow. Summer's gone, and once this last link to her is severed, you'll finally be able to come back to your real family."

"How dare you? This is her daughter! Summer was your teammate! Your friend! She's Yang's sister!"

"She was a good ally during my time at Beacon. I had a great respect for Summer Rose. That is why I gave Ruby the chance to leave that I did. You know I wouldn't offer that chance to many, but she declined. The rest is irrelevant. This is for the best, brother. You'll see."

"RAVEN!" He began limping forward trying to reach them in time.

Ruby, her head spinning from the conversation she'd just heard, barely noticed the red blade raising into the air. Numerous voices were calling out again, but she wasn't listening. She was about to die. She locked her eyes onto her Uncles. They were the same colour as his sisters, but she could tell that they were different. Raven's gaze held none of the same emotion.

She saw the blade flashing down towards her from the corner of the eye. She closed her eyes. The last thing she heard was a gunshot.

* * *

Harry did not know what was going on and he was not feeling particularly happy. The flight over from Patch to the continent of Anima had taken just as long as the first leg of their journey from Atlas. They'd all had a chance to relax somewhat and get to know each other a bit. He already had a feeling that he'd get along well with Yang. She seemed to enjoy riling up the Schnees' just as much as he did, though, to his surprise, Weiss didn't see to get as annoyed with her as she did with him.

The worries over his magic hadn't strayed far from his mind during the trip but he at least knew he could still use it. For the most part, it just seemed like he had to fight against his own aura to get anything done. This didn't do much to endear him to the foreign power. From a purely tactical point of view, Harry knew it was a mistake to not inform everyone of his troubles, but even years later, he was still not one to tell others of his problems unless he had to.

Thoughts of how much easier everything would have been, at the age of twelve, if he'd just told Dumbledore he had been hearing voices in the walls of Hogwarts, or how much easier it would have been if Ginny had come forward with the diary as soon as she grew weary of it, kept nagging his brain. Despite this, he couldn't shake the fear that his own involvement would be cut if they knew. He was here because of his magic, so with this ability in question, what need did they have of him? Harry knew he'd be fine, he'd come out of situations, with much worse odds, fine before. He just needed to figure out how to get control of his aura, and he hoped everything would be ok from there. Unfortunately, that seemed to be easier said than done as his occlumency practices only seemed to do so much to help him.

Winter had continued to man their bullhead throughout their trip, following prompting from Yang once they started to get closer to Mistral. From what he could tell, the enchantment on the necklace was holding strong. Nothing strange had happened until a few minutes before. Yang had told Winter to find a place to land as they were close. Arguments against this had fallen on deaf ears as the blonde girl got increasingly more agitated.

Finding a clearing, Winter had set them down, shut down the systems, and finally opened the door. That is where the most of Harry's confusion had stemmed from. Yang had taken off the moment the ramp was lowered, which led to the situation they were currently in. Yang was sprinting down an old gravel road, Harry was following a bit behind, knowing he'd have had no chance of keeping up with her if he hadn't spent the majority of his childhood running from his overweight cousin and his friends as they played games of 'Harry Hunting.' The two sisters had followed close behind.

He wasn't sure what exactly was going on, but Harry was fairly certain it had to do with the enchanted necklace. He assumed they were currently heading the direction of one Ruby Rose and he doubted things would be peaceful when they found her. It wouldn't surprise him if the girl and her team had encountered a large pack of Grimm or something of the sort. The unintentional empathetic property of the enchantment seemed to be stronger than he'd anticipated.

Just as Harry began to feel the burn in his muscles, the path before them opened up onto another big open space. It was obvious it was filled with some kind of camp. Yang seemed to be gunning straight for the center, and as he allowed his eyes to trace her trajectory he came across a horrifying scene. Everything seemed to slow down as Harry took it in. Dozens of what he assumed to be the camp's occupants were crowded around an open circle. They seemed to be restraining, what he assumed to be two young Huntsmen and a Huntress. Inside the circle, a tall woman with raven black hair and burning crimson eyes, something he'd hoped never to see in another human being ever again, stood in the center of attention. If he had to say anything about her, it would be that she actually looked a bit like Yang, as if her color scheme had changed. This wasn't the most noticeable part though. What grabbed his attention was that the woman was bringing down a blood red blade onto someone curled up at her feet. Someone with a red cloak. A red cloak being the signature item Yang had described as being owned by her sister. _'Bollucks.'_

Pulling out his wand, Harry started to prepare himself for what was going to happen, but Yang had him beat. "LEAVE HER ALONE!"

She punched her fists forward, the bracelets on both her organic and robotic arms shifting into fully fledged gauntlets. Two more punches into the air as she ran output two dust rounds at the black haired woman. Said woman was forced to turn away from her killing strike to, impressively, slice the shots out of the air. Even from distance, Harry could see her shock and the sudden calculating look that descended on her face as she took in their arrival.

Yang continued to run forward but seemed to hesitate to fire on the woman anymore since she stood over who he assumed to be her sister. Deciding to remove that obstacle for her, Harry flicked his wand and gave a quick, "Accio Ruby."

He got his confirmation that the small person on the ground was who he thought when she suddenly came flying through the air towards him. Another flick of his wrist had her slow down to a stop before they collided. Yang had followed her sister progress and shot him a grateful nod before she turned her head back towards the people in front of them. They all came to a stop before the circle of people.

Yang stood at the head of their group having a staredown with her sister's would-be murderer, "Qrow told me you were a bandit. Took me a while to come to terms with it, but I thought it was something I could deal with. He didn't tell me you were a murderer as well."

"Yang… I see you've stopped moping around at home. Maybe there is some hope for my only child after all."

Harry felt completely turned around now. Was her mother not dead, they had just spoken on it earlier? Thinking back on it caused a few more thing to fall into place. One of the things included Weiss' strange comments in Ruby's bedroom, and the other the photo of the woman who looked just like Yang. In fact, the very woman who he was currently looking at. It was easy for him to see now with the resemblance so clear. He had never realized that Yang and Ruby weren't full sisters, despite how different they looked,

"Don't call me that!" Yang barked. "Maybe there was a time, even recently, that I wanted to get to know you, but not anymore... you… you tried to kill her."

"It's the way of life." She shrugged, "I gave her a chance to walk away, she didn't take it and thus the consequences are completely her own. Even if they are fatal."

"She's my sister!" Yang screamed, her aura seeming to explode around her as if she were on fire.

While this was happening Harry tried to check over the girl in front of him. Her eyes, a surprising shade of silver, blinked open in confusion. "What happened?" She looked at Harry, "Who are you?"

"My name's Harry, and I managed to pull you away from the crazy lady over there before she could take your head off," he said with a grin.

Ruby looked at him with wide eyes before her she suddenly seemed to remember something, "What about my friends? Are they ok?"

Harry sought out the three other Huntsman he'd seen when he'd first came upon the camp. "Why don't we see if there's not something I can do to help them out." They were still be restrained by several bandits each, though everyone had seemingly stopped struggling and was watching the mother/daughter confrontation taking place in front of them.

Harry pointed his wand at them discreetly, muttering, "Relashio."

The bandits holding the Huntsman prisoner suddenly found themselves on the receiving end of an invisible force pushing them back away from those they had been holding back. Ruby's friends luckily didn't question their sudden freedom, and they quickly scrambled away from the bandits and towards their position.

"Yang? Weiss?" Ruby was looking around finally noticing the others with him, her eyes shining.

"Raven Branwen. A graduate of Beacon Academy. Member of the former team STRQ. Status listed as missing. Later confirmed to be involved in a criminal organization responsible for acts including murder, theft, property damage, and more. Your huntress license was revoked, and there has been an outstanding warrant for your arrest ever since," Winter stated as she advanced on the other woman, her sabre unsheathed and in her hand. Weiss trailed behind her, her own rapier also in hand, though Harry noticed she kept glancing in his general direction.

"I see I'm being honoured with the presence of both Schnee daughters today. I'm surprised daddy let his little heiress out on her own," the woman clad in red taunted, though Harry could see a weary tension in her stance.

"I'm not an heiress anymore," Weiss growled. The anger at the comment was clearly visible on her face and Harry could see her grip tighten considerably on her weapon. Someone probably ought to talk to her about reining in one's emotions on the battlefield, not that he had been particularly good at it himself.

"I see old Jacques had been forced to move onto his third child then. It's too bad, you two won't be worth as much."

Winter took another step forward, causing the other bandits to start to shift around, "Ms. Branwen, you are under arrest for the aforementioned crimes under my authority as Specialist in the Atlas Military. I will pass you and your accomplices over to the proper authorities in Mistral to await a fair trial. Will you surrender yourself into my custody?"

The silence that stretched out between the two groups was deafening and Harry didn't believe for one moment that Raven was going to comply. He was proven correct a moment later when he noticed the slight shift in her body that indicated to him that she was about to make her move.

Sending a powerful banishing charm her way turned out to be a good idea as it impacted just as she made her move. The lead bandit went flying backwards nearly impacting another man who seemed to be struggling to stay on his feet as he leaned on an oversized sword.

Seeing as how that specific charm was colourless and his wand wasn't exactly that noticeable, Harry didn't think most present would know what happened but seeing her red eyes lock onto him the moment she regained her feet, he knew he was in trouble. Before he could react, Raven was coming at him much faster than he'd ever expected. A wave of his wand transfigured the ground between them to a thick mud, hoping to slow her down, but as soon as she saw what was happening she managed to jump over tough terrain.

Before he could try anything more, a swing of her sword sent an arc of some unknown force towards him. He was able to shield it easily but it cost him valuable time. She was getting close enough that he was at a disadvantage and he wasn't sure what to do. Just as he was about to apparate out of the way, a blur of white flashed in front of him and he heard the loud crash of steel on steel. It only took him a moment to realize that Winter was in front of him and had deflected the strike aimed at him. The two women exchanged blow for a minute at a speed that he could barely follow.

Seeing the other bandits moving in and realizing that things were about to get crazy, Harry stowed his wand and grabbed his weapon, extending it into a staff. Sweeping it to one side, a gust of wind shot out blowing back several of the fighters. Seeing the ones who had managed to stay on their feet raise various weapons, Harry pulled up a hasty shield in front of himself. Dust rounds came flying in from several angles. The majority of them bounced off the shield, but a few made it through from the one side, impacting his aura. It wasn't exactly a comfortable experience but it was much better than when he'd been shot in Schnee Manor.

It was only then that Harry realized that he'd been casting for the past few minutes without problem from his aura. Of course, as soon as these thoughts passed through his head, he started to feel his aura flare against his will, causing his shield spell to start to crack. Fortunately for him, the others had moved into engage the majority of the bandits so he was no longer to focus of heavy fire.

The younger Huntsmen and Huntresses had formed up together, pushing back the more numerous but weaker opponents. Winter was still locked in combat with Raven. Harry wasn't sure how powerful Raven was supposed to be compared to most Huntsmen, but he was starting to think he'd underestimated them, even after seeing some of their amazing powers and skills before.

To his own shock, and evidently Winter's as well, Raven finally managed to slip past her guard and score a hit that knocked her back a few steps. Without conscious thought, Harry shoved his staff forward and forced Raven's feet out from underneath her. Next, he twirled his staff flinging her away from his partner.

Not waiting to see where she landed, Harry hurried over to Winter as she climbed to his feet. "You ok?"

"I'm fine," there was a strange glint in her eye. "Where'd she go?"

"I may have have thrown her a bit fa-" A loud whistle split through the air causing them both to look around.

"We can't let her get away," Harry finally spotted Raven as she slashed her sword through the air. To his surprise, instead of passing through the space normally, it was as if the crimson blade were cutting through the fabric of the very universe, leaving a swirling red and black energy behind. Raven ushered a few bandits few and they disappeared from view cementing Harry's opinion that it was some kind of portal.

"After the terrors they've caused in the wilds, each of the kingdoms have been trying to catch them for years. This is the closest anyone's ever come!"

"Let's get going then." Harry started running forward. He fired off a concussive wave of force towards those clustered around the portal, but it was sliced apart by Raven as she stood guard. Growling he started to summon up the power for his next attack when he felt it. Magic.

He didn't even have a chance to think about the implications on what it all meant before the wave of wind hit them. Slamming his staff into the ground, Harry barely stayed on his feet. Winter and the others who had joined him only seconds earlier in his charge weren't so lucky and had found themselves blown back.

As he stood there, what felt like hurricane level winds continued to swirl around what used to be the bandits camp. Many of the tents and other supplies had been demolished in that first wave of wind. It didn't take Harry long to find the source of both the wind and the magic use. A young woman with green hair stood before Raven and the others, arms raised, and eyes shining with a burning bright light. He wasn't sure how, but this girl had just used magic to impact the weather on a massive scale without the use of any kind of magical focus. Was she a witch? One of the Maiden's Ironwood had told him about? He wasn't sure.

The sky rumbled as dark clouds rolled in at unnaturally fast rate. This was not good. He thrust his staff skyward trying to counterspell the weather, but somehow the girl seemed to have some kind intrinsic link to nature around her. He could feel it from where he stood. It was still magic alright but it was as if Remnant itself were conscious and reaching out to her in assistance. It was the first time Harry had truly felt like a foreigner on Remnant.

If one good thing came out of it, having his senses extended around him during his effort let him know exactly when the energy she was building up reached its peak. Layering as many protective enchantments around himself that he could, they were barely enough to shield him from the massive strike of lightning that came down from the heavens.

Having enough of this, Harry continued to stride forward, gaining enough control of his surroundings to divert a narrow stream of air around him so he wasn't continually being buffeted. Another thrust towards what he was now pretty sure was, in fact, a Maiden, unleashed a thick stream of flames. She danced to the side, but he just willed the fire to continue and it began to follow her movements.

Stomping her foot, a wall of rock rose from the ground before her, absorbing the scorching flames that sought after her. Canceling the spell, Harry transfigured the rock to mud so that it splashed down around her. A wave of kinetic force connected and knocked her back to the ground. Continuing his stride, Harry hadn't expected her to shrug off his attack that quickly and thus was unprepared as she jumped back to her feet, sending lightning his way again, this time just a quick flash after she swiped her hand down towards him.

The burning pain and locking muscles were his first indication that he hadn't moved in time. Managing to force one arm outward, Harry redirected the lightning out of his body by will alone, unleashing it close to where Raven's portal was set up. Breathing heavily, Harry tried to regain his bearings. His aura already seemed to be soothing his inflamed body, showing that it was at least useful in some situations.

Launching some more fire at the maiden to distract her, Harry threw his staff to the side, wondering why he even decided to use it in the first place when he was still more comfortable with wandwork. It wasn't like he was fighting grimm or anything like that and needed the blade. Raising his wand in the air, he began to chant a long series of incantations he'd learned for dispelling weather-related magic, all the while tracing symbols in the air with the tip of his wand. It didn't work all at once, but the magic built and built until he finally released it with one last swish of his wand, sparks exploding from the end.

The wind died down almost immediately and Harry noticed the girl climbing back to her feet, obviously having managed to put out the fire he'd sent her way. Waving his wand over several of the tents still somehow managing to stay standing, he animated them. They began shifting around, long pieces of fabric and poles suddenly reaching out like arms to grab her. He knew it wouldn't hold for long but he just needed a distraction. Turning on the spot, Harry apparated across the field to appear beside the strange portal itself.

He cast a finite on it to no effect. He hadn't really expected it to work, not knowing if it was magical in the first place. Now, he was almost certain it was a strange form of magic, but it seemed it would take a lot more than an everyday dispelling charm to do the trick.

Catching sight of something coming from the corner of his eye, he jumped back, missing the swinging weapon from one of the bandits. He conjured ropes with a flick of his wand, watching for a moment as they curled their way around the surprised man and tied his limbs together.

A burst of fire behind him caught his attention and Harry was quick to observe the charred remains of the tents. Another blast of fire, this time aimed at himself, flashed across his vision. With another twist, Harry popped away, apparating to the other side of the maiden. A wave of his wand sent a bludgeoning force in her direction and impacted her back. Harry could see her aura flash, as it protected her from his spell, from where he stood, though she still went tumbling forward, directly into the portal, disappearing from view.

Cursing under his breath, Harry stood there for a moment wondering what to do. General Ironwood had made it abundantly clear how important the Maidens were, and letting one continue to run around with a bandit tribe was far from ideal. Apart from that, it seemed like they might be the only other legitimate magic users on Remnant, though there were obvious differences.

Seeing as how the portal was still open, Harry began looking around for Raven. He'd lost track of her location as soon as he'd started fighting the maiden. It didn't take long as he found her running towards the portal.

"Raven!" A voice called out, and Harry noticed the somewhat sickly looking man with the giant sword from earlier. "Leave the cane!"

Raven spun around but continued walking backwards towards her destination slowly, "I can't do that brother, but I am happy to say that your coming to me was useful. You practically put the relic right in my hands. I'll consider it a fair trade for my saving your life."

She smirked, running her hand over the green and grey coloured cane that Harry just noticed she was holding. As soon as he laid his eyes on it, Harry wasn't sure how he hadn't noticed it the moment he had spotted Raven. Even without trying, he could tell the cane was positively teeming with magical energy. The closest he'd ever come to sensing something similar before had been at Hogwarts, where the very castle was saturated with magic energy after a millennium of use, but even Hogwarts seemed paltry in comparison. As he thought about it, the magic he was feeling matched that of the residual energy he'd felt at Beacon and he started to wonder if it had somehow originally come from this cane. Whatever it was, he couldn't let Raven get away with it.

"Expelliarmus!" Sometimes the old favorites were the best. A jet of blue light flashed from his wand hitting the surprised Raven. The cane was ripped from her hands, flying through the air in large arch. Harry prepared to grab it when something unexpected happened. The formerly surprised bandit leader leapt into the air only for her body to twist and shift in a transformation Harry had witnessed firsthand several times in his life. Now a large black bird, matching her own namesake, Raven dove through the air, grabbing the cane, mid-flight, with her talons. She wheeled around and began swooping back towards the portal. Harry fired off a barrage of silent stunners, but with her now improved manoeuvrability, none of them hit. She crossed through the portal and disappeared from view. The swirling mass of crimson energy disappeared behind her.

"Remnant has bloody animaguses too!" Harry cried, before whipping his wand around and blowing up a nearby boulder. "Shit!" The second curse was echoed in stereo.

Looking around, he saw the person who had matched his statement, and his own gaze met another set of crimson eyes that day, though these ones looked much more weary. Harry replayed the man's conversation with Raven in his head, as well as his looks, and with a start, he realized that this was who he was supposed to be meeting, Qrow.

"Qrow Branwen I presume?" Harry asked as he walked over.

"Who's-" he sucked in a gasping breath, "asking?" With another gasp, he started to teeter, his legs giving out beneath him.

Harry rushed forward a couple steps and managed to catch the man and steady him, "My name's Harry. Harry Potter. I was actually sent to-"

"Harry!" He looked up to see Winter jogging towards him. "Are you ok?" She looked concerned though he did see her eyes flick over to Qrow briefly, her lips thinning.

"I'm fine. Is everyone else ok?" He tried for a reassuring expression.

"No one was hurt," she confirmed.

He sighed, "Good."

"What are you doing out in the middle of nowhere Ice Queen?" Qrow asked taking his weight off Harry and going back using his sword as a crutch, though he did shoot him a thankful look that made Harry feel conflicted.

"Well, saving you and those under your care it seems," she growled.

His eyes narrowed, "Seems old Jimmy has obviously been spreading information around then."

"General Ironwood," she grit out, "has read me into the situation. He tasked me and Harry with tracking you down and it seems he wasn't the only one spreading information. There are several first-year students from Beacon Academy here that seem to know much more than they should."

"Recent events forced my hand," he replied tersely. "Nice tracking job by the way. If you'd actually dealt with my sister seriously from the start and tried to drive her off instead of this whole farce of trying to bring her in, to pad your own record, she might not have had time to take Ozpin's cane with her!"

"Who cares? What's so special about his cane anyway besides sentimental value? Why would you bring it with you?"

Qrow shifted uncomfortably, "It's just important that we have it… and now we've lost it anyway!"

"Qrow, if you are hiding som-" Harry placed his hand on Winter's shoulder cutting her off. As right as he thought she was and as interested in the topic as he was, he knew standing around in the open, exhausted, was not a good place to have their conversation. She had whipped around at the sudden contact and her expression soon softened, most likely realizing the same thing he'd been thinking.

"I'm impressed," Qrow's sarcastic drawl drew both their attentions again. "Someone's finally managed to melt the Ice Queen's heart. I never thought I'd see the day."

Winter moved to respond, an angry scowl on her face when they were all interrupted by a shout, "Uncle Qrow!"

The man in question looked over, his eyebrow raising in surprise at the sight of his blonde niece, "I thought you were at home with your dad. What are you doing out here firecracker?"

The girl in question gave a big ear to ear grin, "I couldn't let Ruby here have all the fun!" She punched her robotic fist into her biological hand, before letting go, her smile slipping away. "Though I didn't really expect to walk in on my own mother trying to kill my sister."

She looked away, a lost look on her face. Harry knew that expression well, seeing as it had been the same one he'd worn after seeing the memory of his father bullying Snape in school. He had no real love for the man who'd tormented him during his school years, but he had still spent many hours after that experience thoroughly questioning his own knowledge and beliefs.

Qrow visibly flinched. "My sister's finally crossed the line this time. I should never have told Ruby to come here. It would have been better I died then put her in this much danger."

"It's ok uncle," a higher pitched voice said. Harry spotted that the shorter girl in red that he'd helped save earlier had arrived at their group with Weiss and the three other teens in tow. "You couldn't have known she would do that. She's your sister, right? She's family!"

A look of fond resignation washed over Qrow's face at the comment. "You sure about that pipsqueak?"

She took an exaggerated pause as if to consider it before replying, "Yep!" She popped the 'p' loudly.

Harry couldn't help but think that despite the girl's future line of work, she was still somewhat naive. Thoughts of how the family he'd grown up with had treated him flashed through his head. A wince from Weiss told Harry that she was probably thinking about her own recent problems with her father.

"Well alright then." He turned back to Yang. "I see you've got some new hardware there firecracker."

"State of the art Atlas-Tech from General Ironwood!" She gushed excitedly. Oddly enough, Harry could see stars in Ruby's eyes too, as her gaze latched onto the new technology.

Qrow's eyebrows climbed his face once again, "Is that so?" His gaze turned to look at Winter, lingering for a moment. "I see Ice Queen Junior is here as well. Did she come with you as well Yang?"

"Hey!" Weiss cried out in indignation.

Yang pulled the former heiress into a one armed hug from which the smaller girl struggled to escape. She'd been standing close to Ruby at the time. "She sure did. Weiss and her sister picked me up in their fancy bullhead. Brought some eye candy along as well." She winked at Harry causing Qrow to glower at him, and Winter to glower at Yang.

Harry sighed internally. Qrow being Winter's ex was already going to make working with him strange enough, but now if Yang's teasing made him think he was somehow involved with his niece than he didn't even want to imagine how their working relationship would be.

"Why don't we all get back to the bullhead so we can figure out our next moves? We shouldn't just stand around out here. I'm sure we've all had enough negative emotion here lately to bring the Grimm running." He got a few nods in return. "Let's get going then. We can do introductions later."

"Harry, where's your weapon?" Winter asked, looking him over.

"Oh, right." He smiled sheepishly. "Might've dropped it during the fight." He flicked his wand in the air. "Accio staff!"

The weapon in question came flying across the field, over the group of teens heads, surprising them all, and into his hand. He gave it a once over before giving it a small twist near the center, and watching as it retracted back into a baton-sized shape. He stowed it in the small sheath-like object where he usually kept it.

"There we go," he said. Winter just shook her head.

"Uncle Qrow are you all better now? Were they able get rid of the poison?" Ruby's voice carried over the group, grabbing Harry's attention.

"Well, the Spring Maiden was working on me when I came to. She was making progress when I heard the… scuffle… outside and left. I'm better than I was but I don't know if she was able to get all the poison out completely."

"So that was Spring was it?" Harry asked.

Qrow looked conflicted, probably still not wanting to reveal what General Ironwood had stressed had long been classified information, but he eventually relented, "Yeah, that was Spring."

"Hmm." Harry eyed the Huntsman critically. "And what's this I hear about poison?"

Qrow sighed, "I got hit by a scorpion Faunus."

Harry quirked and eyebrow as he thought it over, "There are spells out there that could check if you had any of the poison left in your system but unfortunately for you, I know next to nothing about healing magic. Giving you a bezoar as a precaution should do the trick."

"A bezoar? Magic?" He asked incredulously. "Who are you really? What are you?"

"As I said earlier, you can call me Harry, and I'm a wizard."

Qrow's eyes widened before he asked quietly, "Oz?"

Harry looked up at the man questioningly, "Oz? Isn't that the name of the late Headmaster of Beacon Academy? Sorry to disappoint you Dorothy, no Wizard of Oz here."

"What?." Qrow asked while inside Harry was chuckling. He shook his head. "You know what, nevermind."

Harry shrugged, opening his mokeskin pouch and digging around a while before finding what he wanted. He pulled out a faded blue box with weathered edges. The inked on labels were in black, making it hard to read, but Harry knew exactly what they said.

"Got a bezoar for you here." He pulled a small grey mottled looking stone and dumped it in Qrow's hand.

"What is that? A stone?"

"Magical stone from the stomach of a goat actually," Harry informed him dryly. "Cures and counteracts almost all poisons.

"What?" He yelped as he dropped it.

Using his years of Seeker training, Harry managed to snag it out the air. "Don't waste it." He scolded. "These things are pretty expensive but dead useful."

"There is no way I am putting that thing anywhere near my-" the rest of his sentence became muffled as Harry had shoved the stone in his mouth, much like he'd done for Ron in his sixth year, and held it closed, forcing him to swallow it down.

"What the hell was that about?" Qrow growled as he gasped for breath once Harry had removed his hand.

"Easiest way to make sure you were able to get it down." Harry shrugged. "You should be fine, barring any extreme complications. It's best we stop delaying here and get a move on."

Harry began moving over to the rest of the group, leaving a spluttering Qrow behind.

* * *

Harry stood up from his crouched position wearily, having just finished securing a perimeter around the parked bullhead. They were all feeling pretty knackered and had decided to camp for the night so they could all rest. Turning around, he took a moment to observe everyone milling about.

Opening his mokeskin pouch, he searched around before pulling out the large mass of canvas that was his tent. Throwing it on the ground, it impacted with a thump that caught everyone's attention. A flick of his wand had it setting itself up on its own. No one looked overly impressed by the display of magic which surprised Harry until he remembered seeing Headmistress Goodwitch's telekinetic semblance at work.

"There we go. The tent's set up if anyone wants to get settled in," he called.

"Uh… excuse me, sir," Harry turned around to come face to face with the blonde haired teen. He had a metal chest plate on over what appeared to be a black hoodie. He also had a bracer on each arm, armor on each elbow, and armor on one shoulder. He carried a sword on one hip while his waist was wrapped with a red scarf-like material. It looked somewhat out of place with the rest of his look but he had a feeling it was important to him.

"None of that sir business, Harry is fine." Harry waved him off. "I didn't catch your name earlier."

"Oh, uh, it's Jaune Arc." Harry felt his own expression soften as he met the boy's somewhat haunted-looking eyes. He recognized the name. He was the leader of team JNPR, the one Ironwood had pointed out had recently lost his partner.

"It's nice to meet you Jaune," Harry shook his hand with a smile though the reciprocating one from Jaune looked a bit forced. "What can I help you with?"

"Well, the tent you set up looks kind of small…" he hesitated. "It might be easier for my team to sleep outside like we have been up until now or at least inside the cargo area of the bullhead."

Harry smirked, "Whatever you guys want is fine, but why don't you give the tent a look first?"

Jaune looked confused for a moment before shrugging and going to look. He stuck his head through the flap and Harry saw him freeze. He began counting in his head and it took almost ten whole seconds before Jaune withdrew and began walking around the tent muttering. He went back a minute later and looked in, before withdrawing his head once again.

"Guys! You have got to see this." The next few minutes were a flurry of similar reactions. They all looked through the flap first before pulling back. Either they would then walk around the outside like Jaune did or stick their head back in for a more proper look.

With a small smile, he went to turn away. "Where are you off to?"

Harry looked back at the indecipherable face of Qrow. "Just going for a walk… to clear my head"

He nodded, "After today, I'm in need of a stiff drink. You wouldn't happen to have anything, would you?"

"Wait here," Harry said, rolling his eyes.

He ducked into the tent, going over to one of the cabinets in the kitchen area and grabbing the bottle he was looking for. Crossing back over to the exit, he spotted the teens who were still exploring.

"Hey guys," the group looked up and stopped what they were doing. "There's some food in the kitchen area if you want to make something for dinner. I'm not sure if any of you know how to cook, but you've been surviving somehow for the past six months."

One girl with short orange hair turned a pleading look on a boy dressed in green beside her. He had long black hair lying loosely across his back with a single pink streak at the front, "Please Ren."

Said boy sighed, "I'll whip something up Nora."

"All right!" He heard Yang cheer as a few more whooped loudly.

The black haired boy's magenta eyes widened as he looked over the group seeming just to realize that he'd somehow been volunteered to cook for everyone not just his one friend.

Harry cleared his throat once again, "Just in case you didn't hear earlier, my name is Harry Potter." He could see a few of their brows furrow. He'd figured out since his arrival on Remnant that his name was a bit strange here. "I work with Weiss' sister, Winter. Obviously, I've met Weiss and Yang before."

He motioned to Ruby, "I assume you're Ruby Rose." The girl nodded. "I saw a picture of you at your house in Patch."

He motioned to Jaune. "I met Jaune here a few minutes ago. So that leaves the last two. Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren, I presume?" Both nodded.

A chorus of 'nice to meet yous' or their equivalent rang out from the six teens at once. "Now, I've got a couple things to do, but I'll be back soon and hopefully we can all get to know each other."

With his piece said, Harry left the teens to their own devices and exited the tent. Qrow was right where he'd left him, so he tossed him the bottle he'd grabbed. He fumbled it but managed to stop it from falling on the ground. "What's this?" He read the label. "Firewhiskey? I've never heard of it."

Harry smiled, "It's a… foreign brew. I'm sure you'll like it. Just take it slow."

Qrow scoffed at his last comment but thanked him anyway. "You're not so bad after all. This almost makes up for shoving the damn disgusting goat rock down my throat."

Harry waved him off as he passed the bullhead. Winter was still inside working on something. He was momentarily tempted to seek her out but decided against it. He needed some time to think. Crossing his own boundary, he wandered into the forest for a few minutes, finally coming across a small clearing. It was perfect for what he needed. A small pond fed by a nearby creek babbled away quietly. It glinted beautifully in the setting sun. A lone birch tree sat rooted to the edge of the small body of water, some of its roots visible along the pond's edge. The tree's pale white bark shone in the low light and stood in high contrast to the dark brown trunks of the forest around the clearing.

Meandering his way around the pond, Harry spotted a few small fish within. Finally reaching his destination, he ran his hands lightly over the tree's papery bark. Turning, Harry slumped down to the ground letting his back rest against the firm tree. The grass tickled his hands as he brushed the across the ground. He closed his eyes and just let himself relax for a moment, trying to will the day's stresses away.

Walking back to their bullhead from the Bandit Camp, Harry's mind had quickly wandered back to the fact that he'd been able to perform magic during the battle with no complications. His adrenaline had started pumping and his recent issues hadn't even come to mind. As soon as he'd thought about it though, Harry had been able to start feeling his aura fluctuate again, and it had continued to do so since then.

Opening his eyes again, Harry concentrated on levitating a few pebbles he could see. Each time he reached out towards magic, his aura would flare and seemed to block him. He didn't understand it, he'd been able to do this just days before. Getting frustrated, he ejected his wand. With his focus in hand, and if he really put his mind to it, Harry was able to accomplish what he wanted to, but it was much more of a strain than it should have been.

He just didn't get it. Going back over everything he knew, the only conclusion he could come up with was that his magic seemed to respond normally when he was completely distracted with no thoughts of his aura. Did that mean this whole thing was psychosomatic? Was he creating the problems for himself? That couldn't be possible, could it? Though Neville did have trouble for years with his magic due to his lack of confidence… but that had been mostly exacerbated by using his father's old wand.

Harry didn't know what to think and in his frustration, he punched his fist into the hard ground. A flash of his aura indicated to him that it would have hurt a lot more without it. He took a moment to watch the emerald energy swirl over his skin before it seemed to almost sink back into his body.

Despite his usefulness in protecting him from harm, Harry couldn't help but hate his aura. It was essentially taking away his magic, something that had been apart of his life for as long as he could remember. It was the very part of himself that had gotten him away from the Dursley's abuse for 10 months of the year. As if reacting to his thoughts, the energy of his soul started to writhe angrily once again. If it would just stop screwing with his casting, he would be fine with it, but he had no clue on how to control it. It was just like this stupid world and their endless horde of demons, dangerous and out of control. His greatest fear was that he'd never be able to bring it under his control. How would he ever face the people back home if his control over magic abandoned him?

That last thought brought him up short. Home? Why did it even matter, he was never going back to Earth. He didn't know how. He'd known the truth ever since he'd gotten to Remnant, yet somehow it was only sinking into his brain now. He was stuck here. There was no going back to Earth. He was never going to see Ron and Hermione again. Teddy was going to grow up without his parents and his godfather, just like he had. Harry barely even felt the few tears that fell but he recognized them when they splashed across his hand. He was pretty sure it was the first time he'd cried since the mass of funerals following the Battle of Hogwarts.

Harry knew he had screwed up. He had let the painful memories in England chase him away. Galavanting around the world had just been a way of coping. It had strained his friendships and taken him away from his responsibilities as godfather. He'd gotten even more overconfident and reckless over those years, and that's saying something after some of the things he'd done as a student. In the end, it had all caught up with him, and it's what had left him stranded here on Remnant.

The sound of a twig snapping quickly drew his attention. Winter stood there looking almost as startled as Harry felt himself, but he could see some concern in her eyes. Maybe being stranded here wasn't so bad after all.

"Hey," she said softly.

"Hey," he responded as she sat down on the ground beside him, only pausing momentarily, obviously considering her white clothes before shrugging. "What are you doing out here?"

"Well, I went into your tent only to see that Qrow had managed to somehow find some more booze," she gave him a sideways look that told him she knew he had done it. "Of course, Qrow being Qrow, he was downing it pretty quickly. Had a bit a shock when he belched up a big ball of flame."

Harry couldn't help but chuckle, "I told him to go slow."

"It's not funny!" Despite her words, Harry could see her lips twitching up into a smile. "My sister had to put it out using some ice dust so your tent wouldn't burn down."

"I guess I'll have to thank Weiss than. She must be warming up to me if she's willing to save my property."

"Weiss likes you just fine," Winter huffed while Harry gave her an incredulous look. "Ok fine. Sometimes it takes a while for her to get used to people. She's always been protective of me, and somewhat jealous of others around me. I think it might be since we were the only two who really got along growing up, and then I left her there alone to get away from our father."

Winter looked down, "That's understandable, but not your fault Winter."

She looked back up, "What do you mean? I should never have left her there. I know what being in my father's crosshairs is like, and with me gone, all of the attention shifted to her. I should have stayed, to protect her at least."

"You needed to take care of yourself, or you would have been no good to her now," Harry laid his hand on top of hers lightly, still unable to stop marveling at the smooth texture of her skin. "It all worked out, in the end, didn't it. Weiss is here with you now, and you said your father has been dealt with?"

She nodded, "I guess you're right. Anyway, as I was saying earlier, after the whole incident where we almost lost your tent, Qrow told me you'd left to go for a walk. I thought I'd come check on you, so I just followed your trail. You're not very good at being discreet without your magic you know." She nudged him somewhat playfully in the ribs before letting her earlier concerned look to return, "Is everything alright?"

Harry felt his own smile fall and he took a few seconds to respond, "I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Just had to clear my head."

He must have hesitated for too long, "Harry… what's wrong?"

Meeting the sincere look in her blue eyes, he couldn't keep it in any longer, "It's stupid."

"I'm sure it's not."

He sighed, "It just sort of hit me now… that I'm never going to be able to go home again or see any of the people I knew on Earth. I'm most likely stuck here on Remnant for the rest of my life."

Flipping her hand around, she twined her fingers together with the hand Harry had been laying there. "There's nothing wrong with that Harry. I can barely even comprehend what it must be like for you. There is no shame in feeling the way you do. It's not strange that it took a while for you to come to terms with it either. It's a lot to process. Just know that I'll do my best to support you. Please ask if you ever need something."

"Thank you," tightening his grip on her hand, Harry allowed himself to lean against her side ever so slightly, reveling in the warmth that could only come from human contact. They both sat there just enjoying the moment for a while, neither wanting to break the silence.

"So, I heard you introduced yourself to Weiss as my boyfriend," she finally said as if only idly commenting on the weather.

It took a moment for what Winter said to sink in but when he did he froze before springing upward and turning to look at Winter fearfully. To his own mortification, he could feel his own cheeks heating up in embarrassment.

"I… I… it was only a joke," he stammered. He wasn't sure why the last bit came out sounding like a question. "I'm sorry?"

Winter watched him with amusement sparkling in her eyes. She stood up herself, brushing off her pants before ever so slowly sauntering over towards him. It was something that didn't help his case, as his eyes involuntarily shifted down to her swaying hips before darting back up to meet her eyes. He swallowed nervously.

"I will say it was quite presumptuous of you to make such a bold statement," she'd reached him now, one of her hands splaying out across his upper chest. "But what if I don't want you to be joking?" The last part came out in a somewhat breathy whisper.

Harry's brain short-circuited, "I-" but he was cut off as her lips crashed into his. He didn't even contemplate resisting as he allowed himself to be swept away by the kiss. This had been something he'd wanted for a while, so without pause, he wrapped his arms around her slim waist and pulled her tightly up against him. He had to stifle a moan as her curves seemed to fit perfectly up against him at the same time that she ran her tongue over his bottom lip seeking entrance.

Harry wasn't even sure how long they remained in their embrace, but he was sure it was much longer than it felt. Eventually, they both pulled away, trying to regain their breath. There was a healthy flush on Winter's face that seemed to stand out even more against her white hair. Without a spoken word, the two sat back down in their previous position on the ground, though, if possible, even closer together.

"Do I have your permission to call you my girlfriend now, milady?" Harry teased.

Winter smirked, "I guess you can be trained. A surprise for someone as uncouth as you were."

"Hey! I've always been the perfect gentleman… well except once when I was fourteen, but that's beside the point."

Winter shook her head in amusement, "What kind of gentlemen gets a lady all hot and sweaty before taking her on a date first."

"I'm pretty sure Weiss' concert is considered a date," he said before adding, "and you were the one who came on to me."

Winter hummed noncommittally, "As for your original question, I guess I could allow you that honor."

"Oh why thank you, your grace" Harry tried to give an exaggerated bow, but it didn't work well with him sitting. Winter began to giggle and Harry himself couldn't contain his own chuckles.

Settling down, Winter shifted over some more, this time being the one to lean into him. He didn't mind, and wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders. As the sky slowly darkened, and the temperature cooled, all he could hear were the sound of her breathing, the chirping crickets, and the babbling of the small stream. The only words to describe it were peaceful and serene. Maybe Remnant wouldn't be so bad after all.

This thought brought him back to his aura. He started to realize that the reason he was so against the idea of unlocking his aura in the first place was more because it was physical, tangible proof that he was no longer a resident of Earth. Remnant was his new home, and he needed to accept that, aura included. This realization brought him a sudden, unexpected feeling of peace. Wanting to prove something to himself, Harry raised his one free hand, Winter not seeing since her eyes were closed, and tried levitating a small stone he could see by his feet. The stone rose smoothly into the air.


	12. She's Just a Grimm Memory

**Chapter 12:**

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _Hey Everyone, sorry for the long wait. Real life got crazy for a while, then I lost all interest in writing in June, then I was back updating my other story 'Making a Deal With a Devil' BUT now I'm back! This chapter isn't the behemoth the others before it was but more of a normal length and I think it ended at a pretty natural point. Anyway, I really appreciate all the support I've been receiving! All the reviews, follows and favorites really mean a lot! I still can't believe this story has broken 2k follows! Thanks so much! Anyway, as always, let me know what you think of this in the reviews. Enjoy!_

 _ **P.S.**_ _I only self edited this pretty quickly so hopefully I didn't miss too many mistakes. If anyone has experience being a beta and wants to beta read for this story, please shoot me a message._

 _ **Update:** Forgot to mention, this is my first story to reach over 100k words! Yeah me! **:D**_

* * *

Salem did her best to contain her rage, only letting an annoyed sigh escape her lips instead. She wasn't sure how much Cinder could try her patience before it snapped. She truly was a pitiful little girl, just like when she had found her all those years ago. Despite the annoyance the girl's initial clinginess had caused, it had allowed her to shape Cinder into the useful tool that she had been. Now, that her usefulness was at an all time low, it was becoming much harder to put up with her. It only served increase her hate towards the silver eyed girl who'd done this. The girl who had ruined all the work she'd put in her tool. When she finally had her in her grasp, she'd end the troublesome lineage those eyes caused once and for all. She'd thought the mother had been the last, but it seems she was wrong. At least this girl was young enough that she wouldn't have had a spawn of her own yet.

"I thought you were the girl who wanted power? This showing is pathetic. You have to truly want it! You are the one who took this power from its previous host, only now to fail in using it? Are you sure you are the one in control? Or is the Fall Maiden's power going to master you?"

The raven haired woman scowled, anger clear on her face. Good, that's what she needed. It was understandable that Cinder was having trouble. The Grimm parasite she'd infected her with was the only reason she'd been able to absorb the Maiden's power in the first place. With the damage the silver eyes had done to it, it was still to this day syphoning off the majority of Cinder's aura to keep itself alive, not that Salem was going to tell her that. The ironic part was that without the protection of Cinder's body, the parasite would have died immediately in the girls attack, and yet if Cinder had not carried it within her at the time, the girl's silver eyes would have done absolutely nothing to her. Now because of it's presence that night, half of Cinder's previously gorgeous figure was covered in scars and she'd lost an eye. She wouldn't be sending her out on any more seduction missions that was for sure.

A loud bang reverberated throughout the hall, drawing Salem's attention away from the current Fall Maiden. As the footsteps grew louder down the hall, Tyrian finally slunk into view. She immediately saw the stump where his stinger used to be and lack of girl with him, but she kept her face neutral with great effort. It seems she'd been right to send her new pet as backup. She didn't even care if it killed the girl instead of capturing her at this point.

"Tyrian. You've returned. Did you bring the girl?"

He seemed to shrink in on himself at her words. His despair was absolutely delicious. The others had all joined her because they wanted the power she could bring them, or they just wanted to be on the winning side, or even because they feared her power, but Tyrian was different. While the others might speak the words and claim they worshipped her as their Queen, Tyrian really saw her as his Goddess. It made it all the more easier to break him whenever she felt like it.

"I'm sorry my Queen… I've failed you." She hummed without comment, trying to think about the best words to crush his spirit before she built him back up again. "B-but that's not all! I killed the Huntsman, Qrow Branwen. He got in the way and I poisoned him with my stinger. He won't last long now."

Well… this was interesting. One of the last of Ozpin's little pawns was out of the game. It was one less thing to worry about, though she had started to think he might be the one with the relic since it was nowhere to be found at Beacon.

"You disappoint me Tyrian." The strangled screams of despair were music to her ears as she walked down the long hall towards the entrance of her palace a few moments later. To her surprise, the front doors banged open once again, admitting a hulking figure. "Ah, perfect timing Hazel. What do you have to report about Beacon?"

Stepping into the light he inclined his head, "Your grace." His voice was deep, almost impossibly so, and his speech seemed to move at the slow grating pace of a grinding boulder. That wasn't to say he was stupid, he was actually quite intelligent, he just always spoke in such a slow and measured tone that it tested most people's patience. "I investigated what you asked. The Schnee girl, the oldest, the one we've had encounters with before. She was present on a mission from Atlas when the dragon fell."

Salem's eyes narrowed. That girl had crossed her twice now and was quickly becoming an annoyance, "Very well. She's skilled but I doubt she'd have the requirements to pull off the job. How'd she do it? Were you able to find out?"

"You speak of magic?"

Salem's burning red eyes locked onto Hazel. "What do you know."

"The magic user that saved Schnee. The one Emerald witnessed was with her," he reported. "They say he restrained it to the tower with giant golden chains that shone like the sun. Others said that large fires and explosions were all that was seen until the Dragon finally fell."

For the first time in a long time, Salem felt rattled. Great golden chains? She'd never heard of any magic like this. "Is there anything else."

Hazel nodded, "There is some kind of field in place around the Kingdom. It is keeping the Grimm away. I couldn't find much about it, only that it appeared shortly after the dragon's fall and its source seems to be Beacon tower."

Silence reigned in the hall aside from the distant crazed ranting of Tyrian, but that was easily ignored. She couldn't help but wonder if that was why she hadn't been able to sense much in Vale lately. Was there really some magic that was able to keep her children from advancing further into the inhabited portions of the Kingdom?

"The structural damage to the tower has also been repaired ahead of schedule and I heard talk of the CCT being back online soon."

Salem's fists clenched. All those years of planning and setting things in motion, and now it appeared the Kingdoms, though unsteady, were making big strides to recovery. This wasn't supposed to happen!

"Who is this magic user?" She bit out starting to lose her composure.

Hazel handed her a scroll, "This is from one of my contacts in the the city."

The picture on screen was slightly grainy but otherwise was clear. Caught walking down the street was the familiar figure of Atlesian Specialist Winter Schnee, but at her side was a man she hadn't seen before. He was of average height and narrow build. Wild black hair covered his head, and even in the somewhat low quality of the photo, bright green eyes were visible behind wire rimmed circular glasses. A faded lightning shaped scar sat on his forehead.

Who was he? Was this Ozpin's new reincarnated form? Did he somehow regain the knowledge he lost on the majority of his magic? No, it couldn't be him. The boy in the picture was too old. Was a new player entering the board?

"Hazel, make sure everybody knows, the operation at Haven is being pushed forward. We are going to launch ahead of schedule. Go in person, make sure they are ready to go in a week."

* * *

Jaune pushed aside the flap of the tent as he passed through the exit. For a tent that had insides comparable to a small house, he was still able to feel surprisingly claustrophobic. He just needed some air. Wandering a few steps away from the tent, he made sure to stay inside the edge of the boundary that the guy… Harry… had set up. Supposedly, as long as they stayed inside, it would keep the Grimm away.

Somehow despite everything that had happened, his world just kept getting weirder. The new things he learned just continued and continued to pile up. He didn't know how much longer he could take it. First it had been the fall of Beacon and Pyrrha's death. Then it had been the fact that they were being hunted by some madman intent on kidnapping Ruby. On top of that, they hadn't even been alone like they thought. Ruby's uncle had been following them and watching over them the whole time. Then said Uncle drove off the crazy Scorpion Faunus only to get stabbed and poisoned in return.

Before falling unconscious to his injuries he just managed to tell them a story, shattering any beliefs they had about the world to inform them that magic was real. That it was used by four maidens who could control the elements without dust. He told them that it was what Pyrrha had been trying to become in that pod. That it was why Pyrrha had died.

This had been more than enough to stir his recently ever present temper into full boil. The only reason he'd even helped the man he now hated was because he was Ruby's uncle, and he would never wish harm on his best friends family. He didn't want her to have to deal with any more loss. Their new quest to save Qrow's life had led them to Yang's apparently long lost mother. A strangely handy bit of teleportation magic, or a semblance… he wasn't sure, brought them to her home base… also known as a bandit camp. It was a lovely bit of coincidence that said bandit camp was responsible for the destruction of Shione Village where'd they had met the one Huntsman who died and even worse, Ren and Nora's childhood home.

Fast forward a little bit and we have Jaune watching helplessly as Ruby is about to be executed by her half-sister's biological mother, only to be saved by said half-sister and other teammate Weiss. Of course they didn't come alone, bringing Atlas Specialist Winter Schnee and the last thing he had expected to see, a wizard named Harry.

Using real, honest to dust magic, he'd made quick work of many of the bandits only for their wonderful luck to kick in, and one of the supposedly extremely rare and elusive Maidens to be among their number. The fight had been beyond anything Jaune had ever seen, and that's saying a lot from a Huntsman in training. It had taken a while, but things had been mostly resolved and now they were all settled in their camp with a tent that was many times bigger on the inside than the outside.

Shaking his head Jaune didn't know what to think. His whole worldview had been shattered over and over. He wished Pyrrha was here to talk to about all this. It had been her advice that had always made him feel better. Her support that got him through everything. He didn't know why he had been so stupid. He wanted another chance. He just missed her so much It was like a physical ache inside of himself. Pyrrha...

 _Snap!_

The crack of a snapped twig broke Jaune out of his thoughts, his hand immediately going to the pommel of his sword. He scanned his surroundings, looking for the disturbance. He couldn't see anything, and yet the hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end. What was it that Pyrrha had once said? ' _Have you ever felt like you were being watched without knowing that someone was there?'_

She had been talking about Aura. Just because he couldn't see someone didn't mean his feeling was wrong, but she had been speaking mostly about detecting Grimm, and the empty feeling they gave off based on their lack of soul. Harry had said they were safe from Grimm here. Could it be something else? A bandit coming to finish the job from earlier?

Something flashed through the air, and Jaune could feel it approach from behind. Jaune moved without thought, reactions ingrained from his long training sessions with Pyrrha guiding his movements as as he spun, freeing his weapons and parrying the blow. His opponent backed off for a second before pushing his defenses from a new angle.

The move felt familiar, too familiar. It wasn't a bad strategy but he'd only fought against one person who would come in from that one specific hole in his defense. Tilting his shield downwards he deflected the blow, though it was much heavier than he expected, causing him to stumble backwards. Righting himself, Jaune finally got a look at who he was fighting.

He felt his breath leave him in a gasp. His sword and shield shook in his trembling hands. It couldn't be her. She couldn't be here. This had to have been something conjured up his conscious to torture him some more. He'd just been thinking about her. That's why he saw her standing there before him. Crocea Mors slipped through his numb fingers and hit the ground. A loud clang sounded through the clearing as the blade slid against a rock. Jaune didn't even flinch.

He was both enraptured and horrified by the sight in front of him. Pyrrha. Her green eyes locked onto his own blue, seemed to see right into his soul. Her head was tilted to the side in a cute look of confusion. It was like she wanted to ask him something. A question he knew was coming. He could here her voice in his head asking… always asking the same thing. ' _Why didn't you save me Jaune? Why weren't you strong enough? Why did you let me die?'_

His knees began to wobble and he was sure they were about to give out.

A sound from his right side drew his attention as his red hood wearing best friend charged out of the tent, her giant mechanical scythe unfurling as she approached. "Jaune! I heard somethi-"

The girl trailed off as she skidded to a stop, her eyes wide in shock that slowly filtered over to horror. Wait! Could Ruby see her too? That had to mean it wasn't a hallucination…

Yang exited the tent next, her long blonde hair flowing wildly down her back. Her gauntlets were both already unfurled, her one arm glinting softly in the low light. She stopped right at the entrance, her worried eyes also widening in shock. "Holy mother of-"

"Oof…" the small white form of Weiss smacked into the blonde's back as she too tried to exit the tent. Shoving past her teammate, she went to say something before also stopping in similar state of surprise, her hand flying up to cover her mouth.

Last but not least were Ren and Nora, managing to escape the tent together, just like they did most everything in life. They both stopped like the others.

"Pyrrha… I… I don't…" Nora whimpered. Jaune had never seen her like that. She moved as if to step forward but Ren's firm hand shot forward grabbing her shoulder and holding her back. His face was mostly still except his mouth ever so slowly curling in disgust.

"What are you?" Ruby's voice called out. Despite her usual squeak, her question seem to have a weight to it. Jaune could hearing it echoing back him. ' _What are you?'_ What did she mean? It was Pyrrha! They could see her too… it meant she was real. It meant he wasn't insane. Pyrrha was back. He could feel tears beginning to prickle in his eyes.

"How dare you take that form!" Another voice called out. "Making a mockery of our friend!" It took Jaune moment to realize who it was. He'd seen her angry many times before, often directed at himself, but he'd never heard her so enraged. Weiss stood, her rapier pointed outward even while her arm trembled just as much as his did.

Jaune was still so confused. He knew they all must be surprised by Pyrrha's return, but why did they look so disgusted? Something wasn't right. Ever so slowly he turned his head back to where he knew the love of his life would be standing. His hopeful eyes finally came to rest on her form once again and he froze.

How had he not noticed it before? Had he been so blinded by his own hopes that he had missed what stood before him? Could he blame it on the poor lighting?

One side of Pyrrha's face, before covered in shadow, wore a mask made out of bone. A mask familiar to all those who had seen the creatures of Grimm in person. While one eye was in fact the green he remembered, the other, the one covered by the mask, burned a hateful red. From what he could see, her normally flawless skin was pockmarked by patches of sickly black, not unlike a beowulf's skin. On top of that, glowing red veins snaked their way from her mask, across her face and even into the green coloured eye. Even the shape of her familiar armour and weapons were not made of the metals they were supposed to be but, were formed in an exact likeness from that same bone-like material.

She stood unnaturally still, observing all the new arrivals, eyes flickering between Ruby and Jaune the most before she launched herself forward with an unholy screech. Everyone exploded into action and Jaune grabbed his dropped gear. A human sounding cry of rage was picked up by his ears next as Yang charged in to help her sister who was under attack.

Pyrrha's usual proficiency was executed more ruthlessly than the sweet girl ever had in life. This Grimm doppleganger ripped through them all with with ease. Yang's shotgun powered punches all missed their mark and what looked to be new techniques involving more footwork were turned against her as she was tripped up and pushed out of the way.

Great slices of Crescent Rose were ducked and dodged with little effort. Thrusting her arm forward, the bone version of Akoúo̱ crunched into Ruby's face, making the younger huntress crumple backwards.

"Ruby!" A voice called in a panic.

Their opponent went in for a finishing strike only to be blocked by a sudden wall of ice. With a wordless snarl, Weiss suddenly launched herself on top of her partner's would be killer. Jaune had never seen her move so fast. In a blur, she poked the end of of weapon into her enemy over and over and over. Many of the strikes skidded away on it's armour, but many more also seemed to pierce the weaker skin, droplets of black sludge bleeding out. Despite this Jaune did pick up on one cut on her side that seemed to be dripping crimson. What did that mean? Was this really Pyrrha? Had something transformed her into this twisted form or was this Grimm just twisted into her shape to mess with them?

Snarling like an animal, it twisted to avoid Weiss next flurry of strikes before with a great clang trapping her extended blade between her bone shield and sword. With a long drawn out screech, the Grimm Pyrrha started applying pressure, ever so slowly bending the blade of Myrtenaster. Even from where he stood, Jaune could see the stress this was putting on the dust canisters. Weiss only had a second to widen her eyes before with a loud crack, the blade snapped in two and the volatile dust ignited.

With an explosion that shook the trees, Weiss was bodily thrown backwards. She impacted the side of the canvas tent just as the flap was opening to allow someone to exit. The whole structure collapsed down and Jaune could hear cursing coming from inside. Qrow was still inside! He may not like the man much but that didn't mean he wanted to know what happened inside one of those crazy magical tents when it collapses.

Jaune tightened his grip on his sword. His friends were getting hurt around him, he didn't know where Harry or Weiss' sister was, and the only other adult, Qrow, was stuck in some dust be damned magic tent. He needed to do something, he just wasn't sure if he could make himself attack her. He didn't know if she was real but she looked just like her.

The familiar sound of Stormflower's rapid fire of dust ammunition lit up the night, striking at humanoid Grimm. They didn't do anything other than annoy her, bouncing off armoured areas with no impact and only slightly irritating the rest of her skin. In the distraction it caused, Jaune noticed the forms of Nora and Yang moving back in. One readied their fists the other their massive hammer. Jaune knew what was coming and he almost wanted to avert his eyes. The true strongest Huntresses in training, in terms of physical strength at least, were about to sandwich her between them.

Ren ceased his attack and with a simultaneous cry, Yang swung her new robotic limb at full power while Nora brought her hammer down. There was a loud metallic crash, the actual impact hidden by a cloud of dust. Waiting on bated breath, Jaune feared to see this Pyrrha's body, even if only a doppleganger laying there on ground broken, but to their surprise that was not the case. As the dust settled, Jaune gaped as he watched the Grimm hold back Magnhild with one hand and Yang's fist with another. Swinging her arm around she pulled Nora off her feet, using her own weapon to swing her around and send her flying. Jaune watched in horror as she crashed into a gaping Ren, both of them tumbling away.

A horrible ear piercing, grating sound of protesting mechanics pulled Jaune's attention back to the fight. The creature in front of him, for that's what Jaune had finally realized she was, was over powering Yang's new cybernetic, pushing it back twisting it a direction he was sure it was not supposed to go. Yang screamed in agony, her burning crimson eyes doing nothing to help her now. With loud crack something broke and the creature flung her away where she impacted a nearby tree, her aura visibly shattering.

Jaune forced his legs to move. He was the last one left. All of his friends were down and injured. The only reason none of them were dead because of luck alone. What he did next may haunt him for the rest of his life, but he was not going to lose another friend… even to a Pyrrha look-a-like. He prepared his sword and readied his shield, forcing the tremors away. He could not fail.

Taking the initiative, Jaune lashed out first. It was a conservative strike. Not much chance of actually hitting but it didn't open up his own guard much. They say 'no risk, no reward' and it was true, but he was just testing her. It was just like their rooftop spars. Nothing different. He was probably more familiar with Pyrrha's style than anyone else. It had never allowed him to beat her, but he pushed that thought away for now.

Launching another attack, he tried a move he remembered Pyrrha teaching him as a quick attempt at disarming your opponent. As expected, she countered it easily, but the strength she put behind every move of her own was exponentially larger than he was used to. It almost made him lose his sword, but he managed to keep his grip. Having expended his chances, the faux-Pyrrha moved to attack.

He parried the first blow, almost losing his sword again to her unnatural strength, and catching her second strike on his shield. He didn't have time to check, but he was certain that one blow alone put a dent in the ancient metal construct.

The minute that followed was a back and forth of strikes. She had torn through all his friends so easily and somehow he was lasting the longest. It was like they were back on their rooftop training at night after a day of classes. Looking her in the face, he wondered if she was somehow feeling the same. Her single emerald eye seemed to have a familiar look in it. With that thought, Jaune faltered in his strike. The crimson eye seemed to suddenly glow brighter and before he knew what was going on Crocea Mors was spinning away into the darkness. A boot hit him in the chest, sending him flying backwards.

Jaune skidded across the ground, gasping for air after the breath was knocked out of him. His shield had fallen away during his few seconds in the air. Groaning, he tried to sit up only to have the same boot press into his chest again, holding him down. He looked up into the twisted face of the woman he loved, her red eye burning with a familiar hatred for humanity. She raised her bone sword with both hands higher and higher, the tip pointing hungrily towards his heart.

"Pyrrha…" he let her name escape in a gasp. At least it would be her name that was on his lips when he died. At least she would be the last thing he saw. There were worst ways to go.

As the name escaped him, the creature above him froze. Looking into her eyes, his heart skipped a beat when he saw the crimson one flicker back to its natural colour for only a moment.

"Pyrrha," he tried again. "Pyrrha it's me."

The time between each flicker slowed and the inhuman rage that had painted her face before slowly faded away to a look of horror. "J-J-Jaune." His name came forth in a rasping voice, as if it hadn't been in use for a long time. Despite their current circumstances, Jaune felt a genuine smile breaking out across his face for the first time since his world had gone to hell, and tears welling up in his eyes. Tears were also visibly building in her eye free of the bone mask as she slowly started lower her sword.

"BOMBARDA!" A loud shout split the night. There was a distortion in the air and then, before Jaune could even blink, something had crashed into Pyrrha with immense force, sending her spinning through the air and out of sight. Panicked, he ignored his numerous aches and pains and forced himself into a sitting position.

Harry was striding into the clearing at a furious pace. His face a mask of anger, a stick in his hand. Winter was just behind him but hurrying over to her sister's prone form instead.

Looking around, he spotted Pyrrha regain her feet several meters away. She stood in a crouch growling lowly at the approaching wizard, none of her before seen humanity visible anymore. With numerous flicks of his stick, or as Jaune assumed to be a magical wand, Harry sent all kinds of different coloured lights towards her. Moving with inhuman grace she dodged them all, even twisting back at one point so her head nearly touched the ground before springing back up to her feet.

Jaune heard a muffled curse before with his wand moving in grand sweeping arcs this time, the ground began to shift. He'd seen the wizard fight the maiden earlier and yet something about this seemed even more impressive. Spears and other spikes of dirt and stone rose out of the ground, all homing in on Pyrrha. Jaune pushed himself to his feet, despite his body's protests, ready to intervene. He watched in trepidation, that turned out to be unwarranted, as Pyrrha dodged them all once again.

Next, great hands of stone began reaching out towards her. It was as if the planet itself had come alive and was trying to pull her in. She dodged one swipe kicking off the stone construct and rolling out of the way of another. Unfortunately, this put her right in the path of a third which managed to wrap its stone fingers around her and pulling it's grasp taught with a crunch. Tensing, Jaune was once again surprised when the loud sound of cracking stone met his ears. Pyrrha was tensing and flexing within her restraints and a moment later the hand shattered around her. How strong was she in this form?

Looking back at Harry, Jaune saw him get into a stance. The tip of his wand started to glow and insidious orange, and he just knew something was up.

"Wait! Don't hurt her!" He yelled moving forward.

"Stay back!" Harry yelled without taking his eyes off Pyrrha. "She's not human anymore. Whoever she was before is long gone by now."

Jaune pushed even further forward, "That's not true!"

A flick of his wand towards him and Jaune found himself knocked backwards a few feet onto his back.

"I said stay back," Harry called. Scrambling to his feet Jaune was in time to hear him yell, "Ignis Verberaque!"

A thin stream of fire shot forth from his wand and remain in that shape. It was only as Harry cracked it in the air that he realized it was a whip. A whip made of pure magical fire. As soon as he realized this, all Jaune could picture was the flames coming down on Pyrrha, biting into her flesh, sizzling the skin and ripping her apart. He couldn't let her get hurt, let alone be killed again.

Pushing himself as much as he could Jaune launched himself forward. He saw Harry's arm swinging downward, the whip coming with it, Pyrrha on the other end. With one last push he threw himself into the whip's path. He turned midair and took one last look at Pyrrha.

A shocked look graced her face, both eyes suddenly a solid green once again before Jaune felt the fiery burning pain split down his back. He'd never felt something so intense in his whole life, and he'd experienced a lot being as clumsy as he was growing up. Cuts, bruises, broken bones, you name it all, this was worse. He felt the skin on his back starting to bubble when it finally became too much and everything went dark.

* * *

Harry stared ahead incredulously. That idiot, Jaune, had just jumped in front of his fire whip. In his shock, the spell faded away, his concentration gone. A snarl from the abomination in front of him drew his attention back to his more pressing concerns. Two emerald eyes, much like his own, glowed in the darkness making him shiver.

The human shaped Grimm launched itself back at him once again, and another blast of force had it flying back, this time outside his protections that obviously weren't working and into the dark. It wouldn't hurt it but it was useful for giving him space to think. A silent Lumos Maxima flared to life and disconnected from his wand as he flung it before him in the sky.

As the surrounding area was illuminated, Harry tensed. The humanoid Grimm stood at the edge of where his protections were supposed to function, staring him down, her face a mask of rage. Strangely enough, one of her eyes was glowing red this time, he wasn't sure what that was about, but that wasn't what had made him nervous. It was what was behind her. Surrounded by three sides was a small horde of Grimm.

They weren't crossing his borders yet but it seemed the humanoid one was somehow able to lead them across. This wasn't good. He didn't fear for his own safety but with all the teens out for the count and Qrow nowhere in his line of sight, he wouldn't be able to fight them off while keeping the others safe. He didn't want to try something overly powerful and destructive either as he wouldn't be able to control it with everyone else around him so close. He needed another option.

There was one thing he could try. He'd theorized it might work for a while but hadn't been sure. If it didn't work he'd have to go with something a bit more dangerous.

Calling up on as much positivity as he could muster under the circumstances, he allowed the feeling to spread through his body as he closed his eyes. He focused on what he'd felt just moments earlier when he and Winter had kissed for the first time beside that little beautiful pond. The feel of her lips on his. The tender care and affection that had been growing between them. The beauty of that moment resonated within him as he opened his eyes and projected it onto the oncoming horde.

"Expecto Patronum!"

The white light that had been growing at the tip of his wand exploded outwards in a wave. A blindingly bright ethereal stag charged forth towards his opponents, and just like the dementors who fed on negative emotions, the Grimm that used those same feelings to locate their prey, howled in pain as their senses were overloaded with the exact opposite.

The advancing horde began to falter when the first wave of the spell hit them and they soon began to break rank to flee. The only one who stayed the course was his original enemy and that was exactly where the corporal body of his patronus was heading. Prong lowered his impressive rack of antlers as the distance closed between them. Harry wasn't sure what would happen in the confrontation but he found himself waiting with bated breath.

It happened as if in slow motion. As the two approached each other, Harry could see the light of his patronus shining more and more off his opponent's skin. Her expression of discomfort seemed to only grow the closer they came but she didn't make any moves to change course. Just as quickly as it had all started, it ended. Harry's eyes widened in surprise as his patronus hooked her in its antlers and with an all mighty sweep of it's head threw the humanoid Grimm back across the clearing. He didn't know how it was even possible. The Patronus Charm did not conjure a physical guardian, so as far as he was aware, what had just happened should not have been possible. The only reason it was able to act like that on dementors was because they were more wraith than physical being.

Keeping his eyes peeled just in case, Harry watched the area where the humanoid Grimm had disappeared. Prongs was pacing the edge of his wards. Two eyes peered out of the darkness again and Harry prepared to send Prongs forward to meet her when she advanced. Strangely, both eyes were back to green. He really didn't understand that. There was just enough light that he could see the creature's face and he was shocked to see the inhuman rage from before seemingly gone. Her face almost looked sad, but that wasn't possible was it? When they were transformed, the sentient energies from the void, that were the Grimm, latched onto the person's soul like a parasite. It corrupted them and they shouldn't be able to feel anything but rage and hate against humanity.

With one last look, the creature turned away and disappeared into the dark trees. Harry remained rooted to the spot, trying to digest everything that happened. The sounds of a few groans of pain and Winter's worried movements all around him snapped him back into motion. He was pretty sure his protections had been working to keep the regular Grimm out. The hybrid had been able to find them and lead the other in, but without her he was certain the enchantments would hold. He didn't want to risk it though.

Gathering his power and focusing his mind, Harry prepared his next big endeavor. With his concentration now somewhere else, his patronus faded away, but he barely even noticed. Satisfied that he was prepared, he knelt upon the ground and stabbed the tip of his wand into the dirt. Expanding his awareness into the earth he began to exert his will. A loud rumble grew in the clearing as great walls of earth and stone began rising all around their camp.

Sweat began to bead on Harry's brow. Despite what some may think, the Earth or in this case Remnant had it's own form of sentience. It wasn't the same as the human or even animal mind, but the planet was alive, so using magic as a conduit to directly will such a being to change was an immensely hard task and require an incredible strength of will. It would be easier to use magic to manipulate the earth as a force, but in this case it wouldn't be good or solid enough.

Sensing that they were high enough, Harry released his hold over the magic, slumping backwards in exhaustion. The day had been way too long and his mental reserves were extremely taxed, but he wasn't done yet. At least they should be mostly safe from any physical threats that may come their way.

Jaune was still laying a few feet in front of him unmoving except for the shallow rise and fall of his chest that told him he was still alive. The smell of burnt flesh that was coming off of him almost made Harry sick. His injuries were serious so he would need to deal with him quickly.

Glancing around he saw Winter climbing back to her feet. "Is everyone alright?"

"They'll all live," she answered calmly, but Harry knew her well enough by now to see the worry in her eyes.

"Where's Qrow?"

Winter scowled, "Who knows! He was supposed to be here to protect them! Probably off getting even more drunk than before."

Before Harry could answer he heard a muffled shouting. Looking around he saw his tent collapsed on the ground, the fabric bulging repeatedly in one area as if someone were underneath it. Eyes widening, Harry flicked his wand a few times, watching as it rebuilt itself to it's normal appearance. The second that it was complete, Qrow came spilling forth from the entrance looking extremely ruffled.

Cursing, he climbed back to his feet, freezing a moment later as he took in the sight of all the fallen teenagers. His eyes locked onto the prone Ruby, and immediately began to head towards her.

Winter moved to intercept, "She's fine Qrow. Just a little banged up. Don't wor-"

"Get out of my way," he growled knocking into her side and sending her staggering back a few steps.

Feeling his temper flare up in his chest, Harry strode forward a few steps and grabbed Qrow's arm causing both men to stop. "Hey! Watch yourself."

There was silence for a minute while Qrow looked down at where he was being held before ever so slowly bringing his red eyes up to meet Harry's green. "Are you sure you want to try and stop me right now?"

Their eyes remained locked for a few moments neither giving anything away on their face. They were sizing each other up. Harry knew he had no chance in a physical confrontation with the veteran huntsman but he didn't want to back down. Harry's gaze flickered over to the form of the unconscious scythe wielder. He knew Qrow was just worried about his niece. It didn't make how he treated Winter any easier to swallow but he wouldn't begrudge the man that. He removed his hand and took a step back. The older man didn't say a word but just continued on his way.

Harry stood there for a minute before turning to the other adult present, "Winter, can I have your help with Jaune?"

She nodded and joined his side as they moved towards the blonde boy.

"You didn't have to start a fight with Qrow?" She said. "I can handle myself."

Harry sighed, "I know, but it doesn't mean he wasn't out of line."

"As much of an asshole that he is, he was worried about his niece."

"I know, it's the only reason I didn't clock him."

"You've been extremely effective with everything we've done so far Harry, but in a strictly melee fight with Qrow, you wouldn't stand a chance."

He pouted, "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"I-" Winter stopped in her tracks. "Oh my..." They had reached Jaune.

Some of the cheerfulness he'd regained from his friendly banter with Winter faded as he was faced with the problem in front of him. "Yep."

"We need to get medical help. Aura can only heal so much, he needs a doctor."

Crouching down down beside him, Harry vanished the ruined sweater and shirt he was wearing, "I'll do what I can but, yes, it would be best for us all to leave and get him to a doctor."

Harry winced as he looked at the wound. It was a straight line that cut diagonally across his back. While the heat of his whip had cauterized it and made sure he wouldn't bleed out, the edges were blackened and charred while much of his surrounding back looked as if the very skin had bubbled. He couldn't imagine the pain Jaune had felt and if he didn't feel so bad about it, he would start cursing the boy for his stupidity once again.

Pulling out his Mokeskin pouch, Harry summoned a jar of heavy duty burn salve from within it's depths. It would have been helpful to use some Essence of Dittany first but as he knew they were all out of that. Jaune's injury was sure to eat through a lot of salve meaning the next time they stopped for a rest, he would need to start brewing some replacement medical supplies. His potion skills had never become exceptional but he'd manage.

Taking a generous scoop of the thick and smelly creme, Harry began applying it to the teens back.

"Jaune?" A soft voice spoke out as he worked. Glancing up for a split second Harry saw the boy and girl, Ren and Nora he remembered, looking down at their leader in horror. They both looked a little battered but nothing too bad.

Harry was shaken from his observation as Jaune seemed to come awake as he treated the worst part of the wound. He screamed in pain and began writhing away from his touch.

"Help me hold him down!" Harry yelled, doing his best to keep things under control. "He's going to hurt himself even more. The muscles in his back are already bad as they are."

Ren and Nora hurried to comply, and Winter moved to help keep one of his arms down. With him mostly unmoving, Harry pushed through the boy's screams and finished the job. Then scrambling for his wand despite his filthy fingers, Harry pointed it at Jaune and muttered a quick "Stupefy." The boy went slack in a flash of red light.

Letting out a relieved breath, Harry climbed to his feet.

"Will he be ok?" It was the stoic boy in green that asked him the question this time.

"I think so, but we're going to need to get him to a doctor anyway."

He nodded his thanks before turning back to the girl with short hair. They shared a concerned look but didn't say anything else.

"We should get moving. It seems resting for the night wasn't the best idea. Getting the Mistral is more important. Can you get things ready to go?" Harry asked.

"Of course," Winter nodded before glancing over at the bullhead. Then looking around for any observers and seeing none, she leaned in pressing her lips to Harry's cheek quickly, surprising him. Meeting her gaze, he saw a hint of blush on her cheeks. He wanted to comment but she was already moving towards their vehicle, intent on getting everything started. However, this didn't stop his eyes from trailing the sway of her hips as she disappeared inside.

Shaking his head, Harry looked around what was left of their camp. A wave of his wand had the tent folding itself back and soaring back into his bag. Obviously having gotten the idea of what was going on, Yang was awake and hobbling into the Bullhead, and Qrow was heading the same direction with Ruby in his arms. Weiss and Jaune were still laid out on the ground.

Another wave of his wand conjured a stretcher into existence and Harry carefully levitated him onto it, "You guys got him?"

Their nods were all the confirmation they needed as they each took an end and started moving in the right direction. Striding over to Weiss, Harry took in her ruffled yet peaceful appearance in her unconscious state. What shocked him more was the state of rapier beside her. The blade was snapped in two and the dust cartridge area was all bent and warped. Crouching down and tapping it with his wand, he muttered a small "Reparo" and watched as it reassembled itself into perfect condition. The dust was still gone but he was sure she had more. Scooping up the weapon, Harry levitated Weiss into the air with sweep of his wand. Keeping her before him Harry strode over to the bullhead.

It was time for them to finally get to Mistral. They'd be safer inside the Kingdom and hopefully have time to recuperate. Maybe he'd even have a chance, in between their mission, to take Winter out on a propre uninterrupted date. Climbing the ramp, Harry saw where many of the teens were being laid out or were sitting on the floor.

Winter was obviously watching from the front as the mechanical hum of the ramp started to move behind him. Conjuring a simple mattress pad, he lowered Weiss down, setting her rapier beside her. With a loud bang, the door behind him had closed, shutting them off from the outside environment and signally that they were ready to go. Feeling the engines rev, Harry moved towards the cockpit.


End file.
